Arlington County Emergency Operations Plan

A Component Plan of the

Comprehensive Emergency

Management Program

April 2017

Emergen

cy Op

eration

s Plan

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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

II. PLAN ADMINISTRATION 7

A. COUNTY RESOLUTION 7

B. IMPLEMENTATION 7

C. PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE 7

D. RECORD OF CHANGES 8

E. RECORD OF DISTRIBUTION 9

III. INTRODUCTION 10

A. PURPOSE 10

B. PLAN INSTRUCTIONS 10

C. SCOPE 11

D. SITUATION 11

1. Hazard Analysis 11

E. ASSUMPTIONS 12

F. PLAN ACTIVATION 13

IV. ORGANIZATION AND ASSIGNMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES 14

A. COUNTY BOARD 14

B. COUNTY MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 14

C. EMERGENCY POLICY TEAM (EPT) 15

D. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS TEAM (EOT) 17

E. EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS (ESF) 19

F. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND INTEGRATION 22

G. VULNERABLE POPULATIONS PLANNING AND RESPONSE 23

V. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS 24

A. GENERAL 24

B. ORGANIZATION 24

C. SEQUENCE OF ACTION 27

1. Incident Recognition 27

2. Incident Notification 27

3. Mobilization and Response 27

D. ACTIVATION OF THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) 31

1. Notification/Activation 31

2. Mobilization 31

3. Operations 31

4. Demobilization 32

5. Transition to Recovery 33

E. RECOVERY ACTIONS 33

F. MITIGATION ACTIONS 33

VI. ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS 35

A. GENERAL 35

B. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 37

VII. APPENDICES 38

A. ACRONYMS/DEFINITIONS 38

B. AGREEMENTS, AUTHORITIES, AND REFERENCES 50

1. Local 50

2. State 50

3. Federal/Regional 50

C. ADOPTED RESOLUTIONS 52

1. CEMP Administrative Regulation 52

2. NIMS Resolution 54

D. SAMPLE DECLARATION OF LOCAL EMERGENCY 55

E. SAMPLE CONSENT OF DECLARATION OF LOCAL EMERGENCY 56

F. DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES (DCJS) AND VIRGINIA CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION FUND (VCICF)

CONTACT INFORMATION 57

G. PLANNING ‘P’ 58

VIII. EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION ANNEXES 60

A. ESF #1: TRANSPORTATION 61

B. ESF #2: COMMUNICATIONS 64

D. ESF #3: PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING 70

E. ESF #4: FIREFIGHTING 75

F. ESF #5: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 77

G. ESF #6: MASS CARE, HOUSING AND HUMAN SERVICES 79

H. ESF #7: RESOURCE SUPPORT 82

I. ESF #8: PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES & 84

J. ESF #9: URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE 88

K. ESF #10: OIL AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE 90

L. ESF #12: ENERGY 93

M. ESF #13: PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY 95

N. ESF #14: LONG-TERM COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND MITIGATION 98

O. ESF #15: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 101

P. ESF #16: EMPLOYEE SUPPORT 104

Q. ESF #17: VOLUNTEER AND DONATIONS MANAGEMENT 107

R. ESF #18: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT 110

IX. SUPPORTING ANNEXES 113

A. COUNTY BOARD MEMBER ANNEX 113

B. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS 113

C. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER PLAN 113

D. EXPLOSIVE/MASS TRAUMA ANNEX 113

E. ECC EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION AND PAGING CRITERIA 113

F. ARLINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN 113

G. EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION SPECIFIC PLANS/ANNEXES 113

1. ESF #6-Pet Friendly Shelter Annex 113

2. ESF #6-Family Assistance Center Plan 113

3. ESF #7-Business and Industry Annex Error! Bookmark not defined.

4. ESF #15- Public Information Plan (Operations Plan) Error! Bookmark not defined.

To respond effectively to any emergency of a size or complexity beyond routine response systems, it is

critical that all Arlington County employees, public officials, departments and agencies, non-governmental

emergency organizations and the public understand their roles and responsibilities. These non-routine

responsibilities begin as the incident is recognized and response ensues, becoming particularly important

as command organizes beyond the initial reactive phase of “first-due” responders.

The foundation for this coordinated response is established through the Arlington County Comprehensive

Emergency Management Program (CEMP) and its component Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The EOP

identifies the departments and agencies that are responsible for providing command and coordination

capabilities for large-scale or unusual events, and describes how the multiple command and response

components are organized and managed. It provides the framework to mitigate, prepare for, respond to,

and recover from any emergency or disaster.

This plan uses a multi-agency team approach and operates under a structure based upon the principles of

the Incident Command System (ICS)/National Incident Management System (NIMS) to manage,

coordinate and direct resources committed to an incident. Commonly recognized among federal, state

and local jurisdictions, ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and

communications systems operating within a common organizational structure.

The County Manager, as the Chief Administrative Officer and the senior management professional in the

Arlington County government, is officially designated as the Director of Emergency Management (Sec. 58-

2, Arlington County Code). The County Manager reports to the County Board, and the Chairman of the

Board serves as the County’s chief elected official.

The Arlington County Board is responsible for policy and political activities related to an emergency. By

statute, the Board delegates management of emergencies to the County Manager. The County Board has

the direct responsibility for ratifying an Emergency Declaration that has been recommended by the

County Manager or designee. The County Board must act on the Emergency Declaration within fourteen

days and would formally declare an end to the emergency.

This document was prepared under a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grants

Programs Directorate (FEMA/GPD), within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Points of view or

opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official

position or policies of FEMA/GPD or the U.S Department of Homeland Security

In 1954 the Arlington County Board adopted the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan currently

known as the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP). It is under this adoption that the

Emergency Operations Plan, a component plan of the CEMP, is also formally adopted.

The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is implemented when it becomes necessary to mobilize the

resources of the identified departments and Offices to save lives and protect property and infrastructure.

The plan assigns major roles and responsibilities to departments and offices and requires planning,

training, and exercising prior to an incident or event. Each County Department and office is committed to

effectively and efficiently functioning within their assigned roles while mitigating, planning for,

responding to, and recovering from an incident and/or event.

Per the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 2000, as amended, Arlington

County will keep current the written Emergency Operations Plan. Every four years, Arlington County shall

conduct a comprehensive review and revision of the EOP to ensure the plan remains current.

This plan shall be considered a “living plan,” and with each use, either by exercise, incident or planned

event, the plan shall be reviewed by the Office of Emergency Management in coordination with

appropriate Arlington County Departments, offices, or non-governmental organizations, to improve and

adjust the plan as needed.

The Office of Emergency Management has been tasked by the County Manager to annually maintain and

update the EOP. It is OEM’s responsibility to ensure the EOP is tested and exercised on a scheduled basis.

Any updates, not a part of the scheduled update process, shall be directed to OEM for review and

inclusion in the EOP.

The record of changes will be kept, documented, and distributed by the Arlington County Office of

Emergency Management. The record of change will include the change number, date of change(s), the

section(s) and page(s) changed, summary of change(s), and who the changes were made by. Upon

publication, the change will be considered part of the EOP.

Change # Date of

Change

Section/Page

Changed

Summary of Change Name of Person making

change/authorizing change

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

The distribution of the EOP will be handled by Arlington County Office of Emergency

Management and provided to all necessary and appropriate County Departments, offices, and

partners.

Group Department/office Name/Title of Recipient Distribution

Method

(Electronic/Hard-

Copy)

Date

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Arlington County public officials, departments and offices, non-governmental emergency

organizations and the public should understand their roles and responsibilities in order to respond

effectively and efficiently to an incident and/or event in an all-hazards environment. These roles

and responsibilities are the key to effective emergency management as Arlington County

mitigates, prepares for, responds to, and recovers from natural- and human-caused incidents

and/or events.

The foundation for this coordinated response is established through the Arlington County

Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP) and its component Emergency

Operations Plan (EOP). The EOP delineates the entities that are responsible for providing

command and coordination capabilities for large-scale or unusual events, and how the multiple

command and response components are organized and managed.

The Arlington County EOP provides guidance to Arlington County Departments, offices and

response organizations by describing an overall emergency response system and concept of

operations, such as:

How Arlington County offices will be organized during response to an event, including

command authorities;

Critical actions and interfaces during response;

How the interaction between Arlington County and regional, state, and federal authorities is

managed; and,

How the interaction between Arlington County and its private partner organizations (hospitals,

non-governmental emergency organizations and others) is managed during emergencies.

This document serves as an operational reference for Arlington County’s response to major

emergencies. Other documents such as field guides and operational checklists (job action sheets)

may supplement the EOP by providing more detailed operational guidance at the County, office,

and individual asset levels.

It is intended that this plan be used by Arlington County to efficiently and effectively manage,

respond to, plan, and recover from an incident and/or event that might affect Arlington County.

The EOP consists of the following:

Base Plan: To be used by Arlington County departments and Offices.

Appendices: Provides support to the base plan and operational annexes.

Emergency Support Function Annexes: Addresses specific Emergency Support Function (ESF) roles

and responsibilities.

Support Annexes: Addresses ESF and hazard specific response, roles, responsibilities, and

guidelines.

Standard Operation Guidelines (SOG): SOGs are not contained in this plan, but are developed for

each ESF and various county departments and Offices. Copies of appropriate SOGs will be

submitted and kept for reference at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

All Arlington County departments and offices will be familiar with this EOP and abide by the

assigned roles and responsibilities. Any updates and/or changes to this plan should be directed

and submitted to the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management.

This plan and all its contents apply to the Arlington County Government as a whole. Personnel or

partners who have a role in incident and/or event activities (response, planning efforts,

mitigation, recovery) will have access to, and should be knowledgeable of, the EOP.

Arlington is a 26 square mile urban county directly across the Potomac River from Washington,

DC. Arlington’s central location in the Washington DC metropolitan area, its ease of access by car

and public transportation, and its highly skilled labor force have attracted an increasingly varied

residential and commercial mix. Arlington County is the smallest self-regulating county in the

United States and one of the most densely populated communities in the nation with more than

8,200 persons per square mile.

Best known to visitors as the home of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, the County

hosts more commuters than any other jurisdiction in the region, due to the number of major

commercial and government employers in the area. The Pentagon alone has 26,000 military and

civilian staff members working onsite.

Arlington’s high population density, active community involvement and diversity, and its location

along the banks of the Potomac River, increases the County’s vulnerability to a variety of hazards.

The primary hazards identified for Arlington County are placed into one of three

categories: natural, technological, and human-caused. Within those categories are a range

of hazards, such as:

Natural - Floods, Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, Tornadoes, Severe Snow, Ice Storms,

Drought, Infectious Disease Outbreaks, and Earthquakes

Infrastructure - Hazardous Materials Release, Transportation Incidents, Gas Pipeline

Incidents, Power Failures, Resource Shortages, and Water Contamination (or

Shortages)

Human-Caused - Terrorism, Civil/Criminal Disturbances

An in depth hazard identification and vulnerability assessment was conducted in October 2007

(included in Supporting Annex XI).

Arlington County may be subjected to a variety of natural- and/or human-caused incidents

and has the primary responsibility for emergency actions within the county.

Arlington County will commit all available resources to save lives, minimize injury to persons

and minimize damage to critical infrastructure, property and the environment.

In the event of a major incident and/or event, it is likely that outside assistance will not be

immediately available. Until additional assistance is needed or arrives, Arlington County will

initially carry out disaster response and short-term recovery operations on an independent

basis.

Disasters may occur at any time with little or no warning. In some instances, increased

readiness measures and warning may allow actions to be taken in advance.

The EOP can be activated in whole or in part with, or without, an emergency declaration.

Arlington County has a Continuity of Government (COG) plan and departments and Offices

have Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) that provide for a line of succession for senior

management and a means of internal communications.

Any COOP/COG Plan may be activated independent of, or in conjunction with the EOP, in

response to a wide range of possible emergencies and disruption scenarios.

Using the principles, concepts, and assignments outlined in this plan will help Arlington

County effectively and efficiently manage an incident in an all-hazards environment.

Emergency operations will be managed in accordance with the National Incident

Management System (NIMS).

Arlington County recognizes the government’s responsibility for the safety and well-being of

the public and will assume these responsibilities in the implementation of this EOP. It must

be understood that, due to the nature of some disasters, Arlington County may not be

physically capable of handling all requests for assistance for everyone immediately. Arlington

County residents, visitors, businesses and industry need to be self-sufficient for at least the

first 3 days following a disaster.

The EOP shall be in effect when so ordered by the Director of Emergency Management (the

County Manager, or designee) or a designated member of the Emergency Operations Team. The

Director of Emergency Management shall assume overall responsibility for the County’s disaster

response operations through the roles delineated in this Emergency Operations Plan.

The declaration of a local emergency activates the EOP and authorizes the provision of aid and

assistance hereunder. For Arlington County’s response to any in-County emergency, the Arlington

County EOP may be activated prior to any formal emergency declaration, and may also be activated

for a lower level event that will not reach the threshold of an emergency declaration.

The Arlington County EOP may also be activated to manage significant requests for mutual aid and

cooperative assistance to other jurisdictions that have requested appropriate assistance in

response to a major event or incident.

The parameters considered in determining whether to invoke an emergency declaration include:

Any imminent hazard threat or hazard impact in Arlington County that threatens or impedes

the continuity of Arlington County Government.

The Governor of Virginia declares a state of emergency and Arlington County is within the

declared impact area.

Assessment by Arlington County that an imminent hazard threat or actual hazard impact exists

in Arlington County and that critical needs will exceed the capacity of response resources

operating under baseline procedures. This assessment may determine that:

The needs of the incident related to the risk of loss of life or substantial property damage

are beyond the capability or capacity of currently available response resources during

routine operations.

The scope of the emergency exceeds the baseline management capacity for effective

management of the incident or scene(s).

The incident response requires coordination with, or support from, additional

departments, Offices, and other emergency organizations beyond routine working

relationships and operating procedures, including financial compensation for services and

supply expenditures.

The operations response phase is expected to continue for an extended period of time,

exceeding the resource availability for successive operational periods.

The EOP may continue in operation beyond any emergency declaration, allowing an orderly

incident response demobilization and transition to Recovery Management.

Arlington is governed by a five-member County Board. The Chairperson of the Board serves as

the County’s chief elected official. The Vice Chairperson serves in the Chairperson’s absence.

The County Board is responsible for policy and political activities related to an emergency and

must formally act on the County Manager’s Declaration of an Emergency within 14 days. The

County Board also formally declares an end the emergency. Other responsibilities of the Board,

typically handled by the Chairperson, include service as overall spokesperson for the County and

coordinating with other elected officials at the regional and state levels, including the

Congressional delegation. The Chairperson also conducts any other activities required of the

chief elected official.

The County Manager, through information provided from the Emergency Operations Center

(EOC), will provide the most current information to the County Board. The County Manager will

ensure that the County Board is aware of actions taken during the incident and efforts that are

currently being conducted or planned to help stabilize the incident. The County Board will

address policy issues such as restrictions or modifications to business as usual (E.G., curfews,

businesses closures, driving restrictions, etc.), suspend meetings; authorize emergency spending

and other policy decisions as needed and appropriate

The County Manager is the principle administrative officer of the County and is responsible for

carrying out policies determined by the County Board and for day-to-day operations and

management of a broad range of County services. These include those provided by the various

departments, with the exception of the Schools, which as stipulated by the Virginia Constitution,

come under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent of the Schools and School Board.

By statute, the direct management of emergencies is delegated to the County Manager who is

officially designated as the County’s Director of Emergency Management.

The role of the County Manager during an emergency is to implement County Board policies,

provide overall direction, monitor the response of County offices for adequacy, delegate authority

for command of the situation, fulfill legal requirements of an emergency declaration, and other

issues that must be addressed at the County Manager level. The County Manager also serves as a

critical link between the Arlington County Emergency Operations Team and the Arlington County

Board and political authorities from other levels of local, state and federal government.

Functions of the County Manager during an incident or emergency include:

Empowering the Emergency Operations Team to coordinate emergencies, and the IC/UC to

command the incident itself.

Meeting legal requirements, such as declarations of local emergency or curfew.

Providing a liaison with political bodies, including members of the County Board, and, as

necessary, regional, state, and Federal political authorities.

Informing the Emergency Operations Team and IC/UC of decisions and actions taken at the

County, Regional, State and Federal political leadership levels.

Conveying policy guidance issued by the County Board to the Emergency Operations Team

and Incident Command Team.

Providing guidance on sensitive issues such as community information.

Remaining available to the Emergency Operations Team for consultation and support.

The County Manager, or designee, monitors emergency operations and guides the County

response as needed. The County Manager or aforementioned parties may participate in any

Emergency Operations Team or Incident Command Team meeting. County Manager participation

is generally in the form of policy guidance to the Emergency Operations Team as well as directives

or guidance issued to County offices and other organizations, as appropriate.

The Emergency Policy Team (EPT), as the core group of senior managers knowledgeable in

emergency operations, and other officials as necessary, advises the County Manager in pre-

emergency planning, emergency and incident command, and recovery. The EPT operates within

the County’s hierarchical structure and is comprised of the County Manager’s Executive

Leadership Team (ELT).

The membership of the EPT consists of the following:

County Manager (Chair)

Deputy County Managers (Chair in the County Manager’s absence)

Assistant County Managers

Director, Office of Emergency Management (serves as the Emergency Policy Team Plans Chief)

Police Chief

Fire Chief

Sheriff

Director, Department of Human Services

Director, Department of Environmental Services

Director, Department of Technology Services

Director, Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development

Director, Department of Libraries

Director, Department of Parks and Recreation

Director, Arlington Economic Development

Director, Department of Management and Finance

Director, Department of Human Resources

Public Health Division Chief

Superintendent, Arlington Public Schools

The County Attorney shall act as a legal advisor to the EPT.

Emergency Policy Team members focus on policy and oversight advice to the County Manager. Each

member of the EPT will designate a staff member, who has executive decision making authority, to

serve as their “second.” The designation of a “second” allows flexibility for the core member to

respond to other duties as needed. EPT members should develop lists of those capable of serving as

“seconds”. These lists must include at least 5 people.

Assignment to the EPT does not preclude members from fulfilling other roles within the

Comprehensive Emergency Management Program or in an incident response. The core member’s

primary role, however, is to advise the EPT and the County Manager on effective policy formation

during an incident response.

The County Manager may add additional members based upon the core members’

recommendations or as necessitated by a specific incident. A Deputy Coordinator of Emergency

Management may serve as staff support for the EPT during activation of the EPT.

In the performance of response oversight duties, the County Manager may call upon the EPT to

address issues related to an event. When convened, the EPT will receive an incident update

briefing and will be tasked with providing policy recommendations to the County Manager.

At the County Manager’s direction, the EPT may be convened physically or virtually at any time

through the Emergency Communications Center’s Emergency Call Procedure.

The EPT will establish and review broader issues facing those Offices responding to, or recovering

from, an event or emergency, as well as those issues that impact the County.

The Director of the Office of Emergency Management, or designee, is generally charged with

fulfilling the EPT Planning Chief duties.

The EPT Planning Chief’s duties include:

In consultation with the County Manager or designee, setting EPT meeting time and agenda.

Providing a policy-level briefing from IC/UC and Emergency Operations Team action plans and

from situation updates.

Presenting policy issues/questions from and to the Emergency Operations Team and Incident

Management Team.

Receiving policy direction to incorporate into the Emergency Operations Team and IC/UC

planning efforts.

Information briefings may be provided by the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manager, the

EOC Planning Chief, the Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief (IC/UC), outside experts

being consulted for policy advice, or others as appropriate for the situation.

The Emergency Operations Team (EOT) is the functional organization that manages the Emergency

Operations Center (EOC) during an emergency. This team coordinates and manages County-wide

assets beyond the incident and oversees the coordination of the Emergency Support Functions

(ESFs) and supplemental groups. Refer to the EOC Operations Plan (Supporting Annex XI) for

detailed EOC operations.

The Director of the Office of Emergency Management or designee is the EOC Manager. Other

Emergency Operations Team positions may include:

Deputy Emergency Operations Center Manager (A Deputy Coordinator of the Office of

Emergency Management)

EOC Safety Officer

EOC Public Information Officer

EOC Liaison

EOC Technical Specialists

EOC Chiefs of Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration Sections

EOC Command and general staff aide(s)

The Emergency Operations Team is responsible for all emergency management operations away

from the incident site. Through the use of the position and function specific checklists, the EOC will

gain situational awareness, determine necessary protective actions needed or recommended,

evaluate public information needs, and determine resource requirements in coordination with the

IC/UC and the ESFs.

More specifically, the EOT/EOC duties may include:

Direct support of the Incident Management Team, providing resources that are not available

through already established resource ordering processes (e.g. mutual aid agreements). This

includes coordinating assistance from outside resources (federal, state, and other local

jurisdictions) that is not obtained through tactical mutual aid or other incident-level

command processes.

When Incident Command has resource requests that cannot be directly addressed or

obtained from within the Offices directly involved in the response, the EOC accepts the

request and seeks solutions through the Arlington County Emergency Support Functions

(ESFs).

If necessary, new task groups may be formed within the EOC to address complex issues

that fall between the authorities of multiple ESFs. Assistance from non-County resources

will be arranged as needed to meet critical needs.

Provide and/or issue evacuation and/or shelter-in-place orders for emergent incidents and/or

events.

The EOC will coordinate (usually through the Virginia Emergency Operations Center) all

assistance from the state and federal government. Emergency Operations Center personnel

manage these outside resources, both personnel and material, until they are assigned to the

incident. Once an asset has been assigned to the incident, it is transferred to the Incident

Management Team, Planning Section Chief.

The Emergency Operations Team is also responsible to notify the Virginia Department of

Emergency Management immediately upon either the declaration of a local emergency

or the activation of the EOC. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Emergency Operation Plan requires the submission of

various reports by local government in time of emergency. The Emergency Operations

Team will submit these and other reports and updates, after approval by the EOC Director,

or designee, through WebEOC, or other method specified by the Virginia Department of

Emergency Management.

Directly coordinate emergency issues related to the incident, but outside the defined scope

of the incident, as delineated by the Incident Management Team.

Usually, this will entail maintaining or restoring essential County services during an

emergency, avoiding or minimizing casualties and property damage, and addressing

financial and other major impacts as soon as possible following the onset of an

emergency or disaster situation. The Emergency Operations Team assists the Emergency

Policy Team with organizing the County-wide response, with guidance provided to

Arlington County departments, Offices, non-governmental emergency organizations, and

to the public, by establishing County-wide goals and strategic objectives.

The EOT, through the EOC Incident Action Plan (IAP), manages other non-incident emergency

issues, such as public communications and coordination with state and federal authorities.

The EOC Planning Section Chief, through coordination with the Planning Section Chief, will

oversee the planning efforts for contingencies, long-range issues and demobilization for each

operational period (e.g. EOC operations, incident contingency and demobilization plans as

needed and requested by on-scene command).

Provide information to the Arlington County Manager, who in turn will provide information to

the County Board.

Coordination between Emergency Operations Team (EOT) and Emergency Planning Team

(EOT): Incident information is compiled by the EOC Planning Section and provided to the

EPT Planning Chief to update the EPT during meetings. The EPT Planning Chief documents

policy decisions that are resolved during EPT meetings and updates the EOC Director and

Planning Section with this information. The EPT Planning Chief also provides the agenda

and supporting documents for subsequent meetings. The EOC Director receives the policy

direction and other recommendations from the EPT Planning Chief and County Manager,

conveying them to the Emergency Operations Team and IC/UC for incident

implementation, resource prioritization and acquisition, and Emergency Support Functions

directives. Refer to figure 1.

Coordination with the County Manager.

Recommends to the County Manager when the EOC should be activated and at what level,

and when the levels of the Emergency Operations Plan (response, demobilization, and

transition to recovery) should be implemented. The EOT will also recommend to the County

Manager when an emergency should be officially declared, and when other direct action is

required by law or regulation.

The EOT raises policy questions, and facilitates the application of policy decisions made by the

County Manager, by incorporating the policy direction into EOC planning and conveying the

instructions to the Incident Management Team, as indicated. The EOT will also provide and

facilitate timely and accurate information to the members of the Emergency Policy Team (EPT)

through the EPT Planning Chief and, at the County Manager’s direction, to other County

government officials and/or to the public.

Coordination with other local jurisdictions and State Government.

The Emergency Operations Team is responsible for coordination between the County EOC,

neighboring local jurisdictions, and the Virginia EOC.

The Director of the Office of Emergency Management, or designee, will post notifications, as

outlined in the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan (RECP), by one or more of the

following common toolsets (Unclassified Systems):

WebEOC

Regional Incident Communications and Coordination System (RICCS)

Washington Area Warning System (WAWAS)

Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN)

Video-teleconference System (VTC)

Arlington County utilizes the established 15 Emergency Support Functions (ESF) as outlined in the

National Response Framework and has added three other ESFs. The ESFs are groups that operate

out of the EOC and provide resources to support both Incident Command and the Emergency

Operations Center for incident issues.

The Emergency Operations Team monitors the activities of ESF functions. When issues arise which

are difficult to manage within the pre-established ESF structure the EOT will assist in securing the

resources necessary for the ESF or organizing functional groups to accomplish assigned tasks or

resource orders.

During emergency operations, the ESFs carry out assignments unique to each task group’s expertise

that have been delegated to them from the Emergency Operations Team or EOC Operations and/or

Planning Sections in regard to each group’s area of expertise.

Each Emergency Support Function is assigned a lead County department or office that is

responsible for contacting their respective support offices.

Each lead department’s response role includes:

The Department Director of the lead department for each Emergency Support Function is

responsible for designating that Emergency Support Function’s Lead.

That Lead is responsible for ensuring that the Emergency Support Function is fully

operational for the emergency. Duties include:

Conducting necessary planning and training activities to ensure Emergency Support

Function members understand roles and responsibilities.

Preparing necessary information and technical resources that will support the Emergency

Support Function during activation.

Have full operational authority to allocate any and all resources that are assigned to the

ESF Lead.

Assuring that assigned tasks are completed and reported back to the EOC Operations

Section Chief.

Bringing difficult-to-resolve operational issues to the appropriate Emergency Operations

Center position for resolution.

Evaluating the overall performance of the ESF, during the incident.

The chart on the next page illustrates the ESFs and the lead/support offices assigned to each

Emergency Support Function.

Dept.* ESF 1 ESF 2 ESF 3 ESF 4 ESF 5 ESF 6 ESF 7 ESF 8 ESF 9 ESF 10 ESF 12 ESF 13 ESF 14 ESF 15 ESF 16 ESF 17 ESF 18

CMO L

AED S

CPHD S S S S L L

DES L L S S S L S S S

HR S

DHS S L S L S S L

LIB S S

DMF S L/C S

DPR S S L S S

DTS L/C S S

OEM L S L S S S S S S S

FD S L S S S S L L S S

PD S S S S S S S S L S

APS S S S S L S

ACSO S S S

CAO S *Refer to Appendix A for Arlington County Department Acronym Descriptions

L: Lead S: Support C: ESF Coordinator (if more than one lead)

Emergency Support Functions

1. Transportation 6. Mass Care, Housing & Human Services 12. Energy 17. Volunteer & Donations Management

2. Communications 7. Resource Support 13. Public Safety & Security 18. Damage Assessment

3. Public Works & Engineering 8. Public Health & Medical Services 14. Long Term Community Recovery & Mitigation

4. Firefighting 9. Urban Search & Rescue 15. External Affairs

5. Emergency Management 10. Oil & Hazardous Materials Response 16. Employee Support

The Citizen Corps Council supports volunteer organizations such as:

Citizens Emergency Response Teams (CERT; ESF 5)

o CERT is a group of people organized as a neighborhood-based team that receives

special training to enhance their ability to recognize, respond to, and recover from a

major emergency or disaster situation. Teams are trained by professional responders

in areas that will help them take care of themselves and others before, during and

after a major emergency. As an organized team, individuals can provide vital services

in the absence of and while waiting for the arrival of emergency responders, and they

often assist once responders arrive.

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC; ESF 8)

o The Arlington County Public Health Division recruits and trains current or retired

volunteer physicians, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, nurses, and others with

relevant skills to help in emergencies. Members of the Medical Reserve Corps may

assist in mass dispensing clinics, help with epidemiologic investigations, respond to

telephone inquiries, or assist with public outreach and education. The Medical

Reserve Corps also welcomes volunteers with skills and experience in organizational

support and development.

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES; ESF 2)

o RACES is a protocol developed by FEMA and the FCC for use by state, county, and

local jurisdictions to train Amateur Radio volunteers to support the specific

emergency communications (EMCOMM) needs of the jurisdiction. The ARLCO RACES

team provides highly skilled volunteers who are well versed in the Radio Art, Public

Safety Radio Systems and IP Enterprise networks. They provide dedicated EMCOMM

voice and data communications utilizing HF, VHF and UHF networks which they have

constructed and maintained for such purposes. The team exercises weekly; the

volunteers have passed county background checks; and are required to take

numerous hours of Arlington OEM customized and NIMS training. The team regularly

participates in state and national EMCOMM drills.

Volunteer Emergency Support Team (VEST; ESF 17)

o The Volunteer Emergency Support Team (VEST) is a group of volunteer leaders who

assist Arlington County in making effective use of unaffiliated, "spontaneous"

volunteers after a community disaster. VEST members may be asked to provide

assistance with managing spontaneous volunteers and in standing up Volunteer

Reception Centers.

Access and functional needs includes ensuring the equal access and meaningful participation of

all individuals, without discrimination. The National Response Framework (NRF) defines special

needs populations as “populations whose members may have additional needs before, during,

and after an incident.” These individuals may include those that:

Have disabilities such as sensory impairments (blind, deaf or hard of hearing), cognitive disorders, mobility limitations

Live in institutionalized settings

Medically or chemically dependent

Are elderly

Are children

Are geographically/culturally isolated or homeless

Have limited English proficiency

Are non-English speaking

Are without regular and/or adequate transportation Arlington County has adopted a function –based needs approach, consistent with the NRF to

address a broad set of common function-based needs regardless of specific diagnosis, statuses,

or labels (e.g., children, the elderly, transportation disadvantaged).

The special needs that are addressed include, but are not limited to issues related to:

Transportation

Communication

Medical care

Supervision

Maintaining independence For emergency response, Arlington County utilizes strategies for those with special needs which capitalize on the use of existing relationships and services already in place. The Department of Human Services, and the multiple departments within, who support the vulnerable in Arlington on a day-to-day basis serve as the lead agency for ESF 6, Mass Care and ESF 8, Health and Medical Services. Both ESFs hold central responsibility for the coordination of support services for the vulnerable during emergency response and disaster. The Vulnerable Populations Plan, Annex F of the Arlington County Public Health Emergency

Response Plan and its subsequent annexes provide in depth and specific operations regarding

vulnerable populations. In particular guidance for the critical response actions of Evacuation and

Shelter in Place for vulnerable populations is detailed. Appendix C, Arlington Special Needs

Resources Matrix, of the Vulnerable Populations Plan also contains additional guidance and

resources which can be used by all involved in assisting the vulnerable during emergencies.

Arlington County will experience incidents and/or events that will require efforts that may require

responses involving the personnel and resources of the County government and associated

organizations— which may include a change in day to day operations, with assistance under

certain circumstances from other jurisdictions, the state, the federal government, and non-

governmental organizations, as well as others—in order to minimize the loss of life and property

and to effectively and efficiently manage the incident and/or event.

This section outlines Arlington County’s concept of operations for responding to incidents and/or

events. It defines the organization, sequence of actions, activation of the EOC, short term

recovery actions and the emergency declaration process.

The County Board of Arlington adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and all

of its principles as the incident management system for all of the County and incident/event

response employees on July 9, 2005 (Appendix C).

During the activation of the EOP, the two teams (EPT and EOT) report directly to the County

Manager (Figure 2). The County Manager will in turn provide the teams through the previously

discussed methods and appropriate lines of authority:

Policy direction;

Authority for management of the incident and/or event;

Guidance on any issues that arise that require County Manager input/action.

The EOP employs a multi-office operational structure based on the principles of the NIMS and

Incident Command System (ICS) to manage, coordinate, and direct resources committed to an

incident (Figure 2). The ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and

communication systems operating within a common organizational structure. Arlington County

incident response and EOC operations will utilize the ICS Planning ‘P’ for operational period

planning efforts (Appendix G)

The five basic functional sections of the ICS are:

1. Incident Command

2. Operations

3. Planning

4. Logistics

5. Finance/Administration

A sixth section, Intelligence/Investigations, can be added and/or placed within the ICS structure at

the on-scene incident command or within the EOC as needed. This function can help ensure that

on-scene investigative and intelligence operations, functions, and activities are properly managed,

coordinated, and directed. When activated within the EOC, this function will support on-scene

efforts and communicate closely with other activated EOC sections and emergency support

functions.

These six components are used to divide the incident into manageable tasks, while maintaining a

coordinated focus. Task assignments are only established when a clear need exists to perform the

task, to address span of control concerns, or to perform specific duties.

The functional size and number of designated positions within the ICS can be expanded or

contracted to meet requirements as an event progresses. Selective implementation of ICS

components through the activation and/or demobilization of additional positions allows for

maximum flexibility in meeting the unique operational requirements of each situation.

County Board

Policy Oversight

County Manager

Director of Emergency

Management

EOC Manager

Incident

Command/Unified

Command

Finance & Admin

Section

Operations

Section

Logistics

Section

Planning

Section

Liaison Officer Technical

Specialists

Safety Officer Public Information

(ESF 15)

Emergency Policy

Team

Arlington County works through fluid, sometimes overlapping stages during an incident,

emergency and/or disaster that could require different response actions, notifications, resource

needs, and mobilization.

An incident or event requiring resources beyond the single agency Incident Command System required in day-to-day operations may rapidly develop or slowly evolve. In an urgent situation, the senior authority from the designated lead agency involved in the hazard evaluation makes the determination. In a less obvious situation, a senior level manager from the Unified Command agencies may request (through the Emergency Communications Center Emergency Call Procedure) a rapid conference call of all Incident Command Team representatives to discuss the incident or event. A decision is then made concerning activation of the Emergency Operations Plan, and the level of initial Emergency Operations Plan mobilization. If circumstances meet the qualifications for an emergency declaration, the recommendation is made to the Arlington County Manager, who then announces the official emergency declaration.

Initial notification to Duty Officers, Arlington response departments/offices/organizations,

county employees, and the public occurs through several primary methods:

The Emergency Communications Center will follow the Emergency Notification and

Paging Criteria (ECC SOP 2007-6, Annex G) is used to notify the Duty Officer of all

response Offices, and to notify the Director of the Office of Emergency Management.

Involved offices, departments, and non-governmental emergency organizations notify

their personnel and support Offices through their pre-established individual

emergency call procedures.

Employees will be notified through the Employee Alert System (EAS) of the current

situation and any response or protective actions necessary. The EAS is an important

component in emergency notification and it is incumbent on all employees to keep

contact information up-to-date.

The public will be informed through the appropriate public notification channel(s).

The initial mobilization and reactive phase of the response is governed by the guidance in

the EOP and individual office annexes and/or standard operating guidelines or procedures,

and by reacting to incident circumstances.

Initial incident command is established at an on-scene Incident Command Post if a scene

exists, and primary incident command is designated. Throughout the incident response,

incident command is tasked with problem-solving for issues not resolved at lower

decision-making levels in the incident command system.

As incident information is accumulated and appropriate interventions accomplished, a

transitional management meeting can be scheduled to transfer command, update

necessary stakeholders, or expand the ICS structure. All major organizations involved in

the incident response are notified.

Incident Briefing and Initial Incident Command/Unified Command (IC/UC) Meeting

The Incident Briefing marks the transition of an incident response from reactive

management to a proactive phase. During this meeting, the Incident Commander or

Unified Command will brief any on-coming or transitioning staff about current

response actions, resources on-order, and/or a current situational assessment.

The Initial Incident Command/Unified Command (IC/UC) meeting brings together the

leadership of key response elements, defines the primary Incident Management Team

(the Command and General Staff), and allows the on-coming (if appropriate) IC/UC to

be briefed on incident parameters as they are known at that time.

If the authorized IC/UC determines that formal incident planning is warranted, the

command sets initial incident objectives and the planning cycle process begins

(Appendix G).

The Arlington County IC/UC remains the primary authority for command and

management of the incident in Arlington County.

Other actions in the Initial IC/UC meeting include:

IC/UC assessment of situation: initial information on the event may be

incomplete and pertinent information should be shared with all members of the

and EOT/EOC.

Establishing the operational cycle: if the event appears to warrant more than a

brief (12 hour) response, the parameters of the operational cycle should be

established. An operational cycle is defined as a time period governed by the

Incident Action Plan; with the establishment of new incident objectives or

reaffirmation of objectives for the follow-on cycle (typical operational cycles are

12 hours or 24 hours in duration).

Critical action planning tasks that occur after the Initial IC/UC meeting include:

o Establishing the parameters of the incident response;

o Defining incident objectives and strategies;

o Establishing criteria to evaluate the success of incident interventions.

Support for the planning cycle is provided by the Planning Section. The planning cycle

includes:

Tactics Meeting: Using incident objectives set during initial IC/UC meeting, the

IC/UC, the Operations Section Chief and the Planning Section set strategies and

general tactics. These are then documented as a central component of the

Incident Action Plan. The Operations and Planning Sections, through coordination

with the EOC as needed and appropriate, will also develop primary and alternate

strategies to meet objectives set forth for the next operational period.

Planning meeting: The Planning Section in conjunction with the Operations

Section and possibly the IC/UC defines resource needs based on the set

strategies and tactics established in the Tactics Meeting. The Planning Section

will define work assignments to meet the stated strategies and tactics to achieve

the objectives set forth by IC/UC. The addition of supportive plans completes the

IAP for the upcoming operational period. Operational Period Briefing: Incident team leaders, supervisors, directors, and

chiefs are briefed on the developed objectives, strategies and tactics. In

traditional descriptions of ICS, this occurs in person, but for Arlington County, this

may occur through electronic, or virtual, means so the EOC, Emergency Policy

Team, and the County Manager may participate. A defined briefing process

imposes discipline for the operational briefings, so time constraints are met,

distractions are limited, and questions are kept at a minimum. The purpose of

the operational period briefing is to impart information and to raise emergent

issues, not to discuss alternative plans, debate choices made in the planning

process, or undertake extensive problem solving.

IC/UC Update Objectives meeting: This meeting marks the onset of the next

planning cycle. The IC/UC re-evaluate incident objectives and progress made in

meeting the set objectives, based upon information collected throughout the

operational period. Objectives are revised and new ones are established as

appropriate.

Incident Action Plan (IAP): Incident Action Plans ensure that everyone is working in

concert toward the same goals set for that operational period by providing all

incident supervisory personnel with direction for actions to be taken during the

operational period identified in the plan.

Contents of the IAP include:

Overall incident objectives and priorities (ICS Form 201)

Primary strategies for achieving objectives (with alternatives listed)

General tactics for selected strategies

Types and quantities of resources assigned

Tactical organization (can be organized geographically and/or functionally)

Organization List/Chart (ICS Form 203)

Assignment List (ICS Form 204)

Communications plan (ICS Form 205)

Logistics Plan (ICS Form 206)

Safety message (ICS Form 215A)

Supporting documentation (for example):

o Maps of impacted areas

o Time line of events

o Time line of meetings

o Traffic plans

o Weather report

Joint Information Center (JIC)

If there is a significant need for a separate facility to expedite and facilitate media

inquiries, communications, and processes, a Joint Information Center (JIC) will be

established in the most appropriate location as determined by the incident

circumstances, IC/UC, EOC Manager, and/or ESF 15. The External Affairs function (ESF

15), led by the County Manager’s Communications Office, will be the lead for all public

information being provided about the incident and/or event. Upon activation, all

information will be processed and released through the JIC.

IC/UC Demobilization

Demobilization follows the same planning process as mobilization and response. As

assets meet their objectives, or objectives change and the assets are no longer

needed, the IC/UC implements the demobilization plan.

The planning process, including contingency planning, long-range planning, and

demobilization planning, delineates possible demobilization tactics. The

demobilization process is executed by the Operations Section with the support of

planning, logistics and finance/administration.

Transition to Recovery

When the response objectives have been achieved, the response transitions into a

recovery phase. The IC/UC persists into the recovery phase, until tasks are reduced to

activities that can be effectively managed by the EOC or everyday jurisdictional

processes and assets.

An after-action review is conducted as soon as possible by the EOC Planning Section

and in coordination with the response offices involved, as appropriate, under the

supervision of the Director of the Office of Emergency Management. This process

identifies issues for improvement, as well as processes, agreements, and actions that

worked well and should be preserved or enhanced. Further detail is provided in the

CEMP Recovery Plan.

Incident-related expenditure information from participating Offices or departments is

collected by the EOC Finance Section. They are tracked by the Finance Section for

appropriate reimbursement from County, State or Federal government, or private

entities as appropriate.

The Emergency Operations Center Plan (Supporting Annex XI) establishes operational procedures

for activation of the Arlington County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Plan

encompasses a wide-range of operations within the EOC, including roles and responsibilities,

relocation, and the EOC interface, just to name a few. These operations help support and

coordinate resources and requests with other Department Operation Centers (DOCs) within

Arlington County, the National Capital Region, and nationwide.

Arlington County recognizes five stages related to the operations of the Emergency Operations

Center:

The OEM Director, Deputy Director, and/or Duty Officer will determine, based on

information provided by the ECC, County Manager’s Office, or other county

departments, if the EOC should be activated and to what level.

Upon receipt of information that an emergency situation is imminent or occurring,

OEM will oversee the mobilization process for the EOC, and provide an initial

information briefing to the County Manager and primary Offices or Emergency

Support Functions that will be activated for the emergency, as appropriate. The OEM

staff and other assigned ESF personnel and non-governmental emergency

organizations are provided with the necessary information to either staff the

designated ESF positions virtually or within the EOC.

If directed, the Emergency Operations Team will convene and assume assigned roles.

The Emergency Operations Team’s mission is determined and redefined through a

planning cycle after each operational period (Appendix G). The length of operational

cycles is established by the EOC Manager, or designee.

The EOC Incident Action Plan primarily establishes objectives that focus on support,

coordination, and management of issues outside the scope of the Incident

Management Team.

Some of the critical response activities that take place during this stage are listed in

the ESF annexes.

Declaration of an Emergency

A local emergency may be declared by the local Director of Emergency Management

(in Arlington County, the County Manager, or designee).

A local emergency declaration must comply with the Virginia Emergency Services and

Disaster Laws of 2000 as amended, Chapter 3.2, Section 44-146.21.

Chapter 3.2, Section 44-146.21 states, “A local emergency may be declared by the

local director of emergency management with the consent of the governing body of

the political subdivision. In the event the governing body cannot convene due to the

disaster or other exigent circumstances, the director, or in his absence, the deputy

director, or in the absence of both the director and deputy director, any member of

the governing body may declare the existence of a local emergency, subject to

confirmation by the governing body at its next regularly scheduled meeting or at a

special meeting within fourteen days of the declaration, whichever occurs first. The

governing body, when in its judgment all emergency actions have been taken, shall

take appropriate action to end the declared emergency.”

In the absence of the County Manager, this responsibility is delegated to the Deputy

County Manager or Acting County Manager. If neither is available, the Coordinator of

the Office of Emergency Management or Deputy Coordinator may declare the local

emergency.

The County Manager shall recommend to the County Board termination of the

declared emergency when activities can be managed without continued emergency

declaration powers.

Refer to Appendices D and E for a sample Emergency Declaration and Consent to

Emergency Declaration.

As the EOC Incident Action Plan objectives are achieved and tasks completed,

resources will be demobilized.

The EOC Planning Section initiates the process early in this phase.

The process for demobilization is developed and approved by EOC Manager. (For

example: as a general rule, non-Arlington assets will be demobilized prior to

Arlington County assets performing similar duties).

The EOC, through both the Emergency Operations Team and relevant ESF functions,

assists with the demobilization of incident assets.

The EOC remains operational as personnel transition to the recovery phase of the

incident.

The EOC demobilizes its ESF assets according to the EOC Demobilization Plan, but

retains an emergency management operations capability to support the incident

recovery.

As recovery progresses, EOC duties may transition to a specific office or to the Office

of Emergency Management staff.

An after-action review is conducted as soon as possible by the EOC Planning Section

and in coordination with the response offices involved, as appropriate, under the

supervision of the Director of the Office of Emergency Management.

Recovery encompasses planning and actions related to community restoration that extends

beyond response activities. Recovery is both a short- and long-term process. Short-term

operations restore vital services to the community and provide for basic needs to the public.

Long-term recovery focuses on restoring the community to its normal or pre-disaster condition. It

includes developing/implementing strategic plans for full restoration, improvement, and growth

of Arlington County.

Emergency Support Function 14, Long-Term Community Recovery and Mitigation, ESF 3, Public

Works and Engineering, and ESF 18, Damage Assessment, are assigned the responsibility for

providing guidance concerning recovery efforts following large scale disasters.

The Arlington County hazard identification and vulnerability analysis (Supporting Annex XI) is an

analysis of the potential hazards and impact upon Arlington County. This analysis provides a basis

for Arlington County to compare and prioritize mitigation actions that can decrease or eliminate

risk from natural or human-caused hazards. Regionally, Arlington County has adopted the

Northern Virginia Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2006) as a foundation for mitigation strategies

as well as outlined core components in the Arlington County CEMP, Mitigation Plan.

Mitigation actions include:

Cataloging and reviewing of current safety, prevention, business continuity, and other

vulnerability reduction activities across Arlington County Offices and organizations.

Amending zoning and building codes and ordinances;

Reviewing land use planning;

Addressing mitigation and preparedness activities with manufacturing plants, fuel storage

facilities, major institutions, waste disposal facilities, and other facilities to ensure

compatibility of emergency plans and procedures, especially where there is an acknowledged

hazard that could spread off-site; and,

Ongoing cooperative efforts with law enforcement, intelligence, and security services to

decrease the threat and vulnerability to terrorism and human-caused incidents.

All assets (human, facility, and equipment resources) of the community will become purview of

the County Manager of Arlington County to direct in any way to respond to an emergency.

The County Manager may also appoint this authority to a designee or the Coordinator of

Emergency Management (Director of OEM) as written in a formal Delegation of Authority

statement on file.

Record keeping and financial tracking will be coordinated between the EOC Finance &

Administration Section and the relevant Arlington County Departments.

Additional resources are available should the emergency exceed the County’s emergency response

capabilities. These resources include:

Mutual Aid

In the event an emergency situation exceeds local emergency response capabilities,

outside assistance is available through mutual support agreements with nearby

jurisdictions and volunteer emergency organizations, or through the Commonwealth of

Virginia’s Statewide Mutual Aid Compact.

For assistance beyond tactical mutual aid (i.e. that which might be used in everyday incidents), a

local emergency must be declared and local resources fully committed, with anticipated or

actual unmet needs, before state and federal assistance is requested. The EOC coordinates the

request for outside assistance.

Regional mutual aid assistance will be requested in accordance with the National Capital

Region Public Mutual Aid Agreement (2005) which Arlington County is a signatory. Mutual

aid for other than Police, EMS and Fire services may be requested through the Virginia

Statewide Mutual Aid program.

State Assistance

Identified response needs will be addressed initially with locally available Arlington County

and mutual aid resources. With the onset of a major incident or event, requests for State

assistance may occur based upon the anticipation of unmet needs, prior to experiencing

shortages after deployment of all local resources.

Requests for State assistance will be made from the EOC through the Virginia Emergency

Operations Center to the State Coordinator of Emergency Management.

To initiate the process of obtaining State assistance, Arlington County will indicate to the

State Coordinator of Emergency Services that:

o A local emergency has been declared;

o The Arlington County Emergency Operations Plan has been activated;

o Available resources have been committed, and it is anticipated that critical incident

needs will remain unmet despite this commitment of available resources; and,

o State assistance is being requested with the type, quantity and time period for the

assistance specified.

If appropriate, the County Manager requests and recommends the Governor declare a

state of emergency.

This request, regardless of the form of initial transmission, will be documented by formal

letter. A copy of the resolution declaring a local emergency should accompany the follow

up letter to the State Coordinator of Emergency Services.

During emergency situations, some state, or out-of-state, assistance may be provided to

individual Arlington County departments and Offices through other channels, such as

through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

Any provision of state assistance through these mechanisms should be reported through

the appropriate ESF function in the EOC, so it may be documented for accountability and

planning purposes.

In certain circumstances, if there are victims as a result of the incident or emergency, as

defined in §19.0-11.01 of the Code of Virginia, the Department of Criminal Justice Services

(DCJS) and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (VCIFC) will be contacted

immediately to deploy assistance. Refer to Appendix F for contact information.

Federal Assistance

The National Response Framework (NRF), the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and

Emergency Assistance Act (1974 as amended April 2007), and other relevant federal

statutes determine how the federal government will augment State and County response

efforts when authorized.

Federal resources, through the NRF, must be requested through the Virginia Department

of Emergency Management. Federal regulations require that the state request be made

after a state determination that it cannot meet the identified local or state needs through

statewide resources (either from the state itself or through state-arranged dispatch of

local resources from an unaffected local jurisdiction in Virginia).

Requests to the federal government must describe the need and the type of response

resources that would adequately address the need. The request cannot be for a specific

response asset, since it is the Federal authority’s legal obligation to determine the federal

resource that is deployed to meet a request.

The Arlington County request for assistance (e.g., from Incident Management Team,

Emergency Operations Team, or Emergency Support Function) must therefore provide

enough detail about the unmet needs that an accurate determination of the appropriate

response resources will occur.

The NRF uses a functional approach to group the types of assistance under its Emergency

Support Functions. Each Emergency Support Function is headed by a primary office. After

a support relationship has been established through the Arlington County Manager and

the Emergency Operations Team, direct coordination between local, state and federal

Emergency Support Function personnel may occur.

National Guard and U.S. Department of Defense Support

Support by the Virginia State National Guard is provided at the direction of the Governor

of Virginia and is managed like other Virginia State assistance.

Support by Department of Defense (DoD) military units may be requested through the

Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Center. DoD assets, when assigned,

will support and assist local Offices.

Through the NCR Council of Governments (COG) agreements and mutual

aid/memorandums of understanding, Arlington County can call upon resources (e.g. Joint

Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Marine Corps Base Quantico, etc.) to assist during an incident

or event.

Other Federal Assistance

Some types of Federal assistance may be available to individual departments and Offices

through avenues other than the NRF, including through established non-emergency

programs.

Any requests or provision of Federal assistance through these mechanisms should be

reported through the Incident Management Team, or the appropriate Emergency

Support Function to the EOC, so they may be tracked for accountability and planning

purposes.

After-action reviews are essential for identifying issues that impeded operations or innovative

approaches that were introduced during the response and recovery that may be applicable to

future incidents. In order for issues to be addressed, these issues need to be identified and

documented. The Arlington County Office of Emergency Management will coordinate inter-

office/department after action reviews, as appropriate, and provide documentation,

dissemination, and archiving of findings.

Lead ESF Offices will conduct an after-action review/process with their own department/office or

support departments/Offices to identify ESF or department specific issues or concerns. The

results of the AAR will be provided to OEM for documenting, tracking, and corrective action

processes.

Through a collaborative and objective process with incident organizations a corrective action plan

will be developed and established for further incident/event response, mitigation

strategies/actions, and correction action plans. Corrective actions will be taken directly from the

After-action review process/documents.

AAR After-Action Report CBRNE Chemical, Biological, Radiological,

Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive CERT Community Emergency Response Team CIKR Critical Infrastructure and Key

Resources COG Continuity of Government CONOPS Concept of Operations COOP Continuity of Operations CPG Comprehensive Preparedness Guide DAP Disaster Assistance Policy DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security EAS Emergency Alert System EMS Emergency Medical Services EOC Emergency Operations Center EOP Emergency Operations Plan EOT Emergency Operations Team ESF Emergency Support Function

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FOG Field Operations Guide HAZMAT Hazardous Material(s) HAZUS-MH Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard ICS Incident Command System IMT Incident Management Team JFO Joint Field Office LEPC Local Emergency Planning Committee MAA Mutual Aid Agreement MOA Memorandum of Agreement MOU Memorandum of Understanding NIMS National Incident Management System NRF National Response Framework P.L. Public Law SOG Standard Operating Guideline SOP Standard Operating Procedure U.S.C. United States Code

Arlington County Department/Office Abbreviations

CBO County Board Office CMO County Manager’s Office AED Arlington Economic Development CPHD Community Planning, Housing and Development OEM Office of Emergency Management DES Department of Environmental Services FD Arlington County Fire Department HR Human Resources DHS Department of Human Services LIB Libraries DMF Department of Management and Finance DPR Department of Parks and Recreation FPD Arlington County Police Department RS Retirement System DTS Department of Technology Services APS Arlington Public Schools ACSO Arlington County Sheriff’s Office CAO County Attorney’s Office

Amateur Radio Emergency Services

A public service organization of licensed amateur radio operators who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment to provide emergency communications for public service events as needed

American Red Cross

A humanitarian organization led by volunteers, that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. It does this through services that are consistent with its Congressional Charter and the Principles of the International Red Cross Movement.

Citizen Corps

A community-based program, administered by FEMA, which includes Citizen Corps councils and other programs that bring government and nongovernmental entities together to conduct all-hazards emergency preparedness and operations. Through its network of state, territorial, tribal and local councils, Citizen Corps increases community preparedness and response capabilities through collaborative planning, public education, outreach, training, and volunteer service. Additionally, programs like the Community Emergency Response Team Program train members of the public in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

Community

A political or geographical entity that has the authority to adopt and enforce laws and ordinances for the area under its jurisdiction. In most cases, the community is an incorporated town, city, township, village, or unincorporated area of a county. However, each state defines its own political subdivisions and forms of government.

Command Section

One of the five functional areas of the Incident Command System. The function of command is to direct, control, or order resources, including people and equipment, to the best possible advantage.

Command Post

That location at which primary Command functions are executed; usually collocated with the Incident Base, also referred to as the Incident Command Post.

Comprehensive Resource Management

Maximizes the use of available resources, consolidates like resources and reduces the communications load on the Incident Command Operation.

Coordination

The process of systemically analyzing a situation, developing relevant information, and informing appropriate personnel of viable alternatives for selection of the most effective combination of available resources to meet specific objectives.

Coordinator of Emergency Management

This is a position, designated by Arlington County law, which administers the day-to-day emergency management authority that is delegated by the Director of Emergency Management, the County Manager.

The position is appointed by the County Manager and is also the Director of the Office of Emergency Management.

Damage Assessment

The process used to appraise or determine the number of injuries and deaths, damage to public and private property, and status of key facilities and services (e.g., hospitals and other health care facilities, fire and police stations, communications networks, water and sanitation systems, utilities, transportation networks) resulting from a human-caused or natural disaster.

Decontamination

The process of making people, objects, or areas safe by absorbing, destroying, neutralizing, making harmless, or removing the Hazardous Materials/HAZMAT.

Department Operations Center

The physical location where a department comes together, during an emergency, to coordinate response and recovery actions and resources. The DOC is not an incident command post; rather, it is the operations center where coordination and management decisions are facilitated.

Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management

Assists the Emergency Management Coordinator in his/her duties. The Deputy Coordinators rotate as On-Call Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management.

Director of Emergency Management

Chapter 58 of the Arlington County Code, section 58-2 states that "the Director of Emergency Management shall be the County Manager, and while acting in this capacity shall have all of the powers and duties established by law for the Director and for the County Manager."

Director of the Office of Emergency Management

The position is responsible for administering the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program and all activities of the Office of Emergency Management. By Arlington County law, this person is the designated Coordinator of Emergency Management, and assumes the day-to-day emergency management authority delegated by the Director of Emergency Management, the County Manager.

Disaster

An occurrence of a natural catastrophe, technological accident, or human-caused incident that has resulted in severe property damage, deaths, and/or multiple injuries. As used in this Guide, a “large-scale disaster” is one that exceeds the response capability of the local jurisdiction and requires state, and potentially Federal, involvement. As used in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), a “major disaster” is “any natural catastrophe [...] or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under [the] Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of states, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby” (Stafford Act, Sec. 102(2), 42 U.S.C. 5122(2)).

Duty Officer

A departmental or divisional position with 24/7 availability, and with a mobile communications link, that is logged into the Arlington County Emergency Communications Center (Emergency Communications Center) electronic notification lists as an initial point of contact for said department/division for emergency purposes.

Emergency

Any incident, whether natural or human-caused, that requires responsive action to protect life or property. Under the Stafford Act, an emergency “means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States” (Stafford Act, Sec. 102(1), 42 U.S.C. 5122(1)).

Emergency/Disaster/Incident

An event that demands a crisis response beyond the scope of any single line office or service and that presents a threat to a community or larger area. An emergency is usually an event that can be controlled within the scope of local capabilities; a major emergency or disaster usually requires resources beyond what is available locally.

Emergency Alert System

A network of broadcast stations interconnecting facilities authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate in a controlled manner to warn and inform the public of needed protective actions in the event of a disaster or emergency situation.

Emergency Call Procedure

The procedure whereby the Emergency Communications Center, upon the instruction of the Director of Emergency Management or other authorized position, immediately alerts County departments and Offices that the emergency operations plan is in effect. It uses an established list to inform designated personnel or positions, who in turn alert the other personnel in their units as indicated. The Emergency Call Procedure is used to provide incident notifications, including advisories, alerts, activations, and incident updates.

Emergency Communications Center

The County facility that, on a day-to-day basis, provides dispatch and communications services for Arlington County Public Safety Offices and others with emergency responsibilities. The Emergency Communications Center administers the Emergency Call Procedures during Arlington County baseline operations, and during emergency mobilization and response until the Emergency Operations Center communications center is mobilized and functioning at a capacity to assume the duties of the Emergency Call Procedure.

Emergency Operations Center

The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support incident management (on-scene operations) activities normally takes place. An Emergency Operations Center may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction. Emergency Operations Centers may be organized by major functional disciplines (e.g., fire, law enforcement, medical services), by jurisdiction (e.g., Federal, state, tribal, regional, city, county), or by some combination thereof.

Emergency Operations Plan

The ongoing plan maintained by various jurisdictional levels for responding to a wide variety of potential hazards. It describes how people and property will be protected; details who is responsible for carrying out specific actions; identifies the personnel, equipment, facilities, supplies, and other resources available; and outlines how all actions will be coordinated.

Emergency Management

The preparation for and the carrying out of functions (other than functions for which military forces are primarily responsible) to prevent, minimize, and repair injury and damage resulting from natural or manmade disasters. These functions include fire-fighting, police, medical and health, rescue, warning, engineering, communications, evacuation, resource management, plant protection, restoration of public utility services, and other functions related to preserving the public health, safety, and welfare.

Emergency Support Function

Used by the Federal Government and many state governments as the primary mechanism at the operational level to organize and provide assistance. Emergency Support Functions align categories of resources and provide strategic objectives for their use. Emergency Support Functions use standardized.

Exercise

An activity designed to promote emergency preparedness; test or evaluate emergency operations plans, procedures, or facilities; train personnel in emergency response duties, and demonstrate operational capability. There are three specific types of exercises: tabletop, functional, and full scale.

Evacuation

Assisting people to move from the path or threat of a disaster to an area of relative safety.

Federal Disaster Assistance

Aid to disaster victims and/or state and local governments by federal Offices under provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of (PL 93-288).

Geographic Information System

A computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information, i.e.-data identified according to their locations.

Hazard

A natural, technological, or human-caused source or cause of harm or difficulty.

Hazardous Materials

Substances or materials which may pose unreasonable risks to health, safety, property, or the environment when used, transported, stored or disposed of, which may include materials which are solid, liquid, or gas. Hazardous materials may include toxic substances, flammable and ignitable materials, explosives, or corrosive materials, and radioactive materials.

Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan

The plan was developed in response to the requirements of Section 303 (a) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (Title III) of Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986.

It is intended to be a tool for our community’s use in recognizing the risks of a hazardous materials release, in evaluating our preparedness for such an event, and in planning our response and recovery actions. This plan is separate from the county’s Emergency Operations Plan.

Incident

An occurrence or event—natural, technological, or human-caused—that requires a response to protect life, property, or the environment (e.g., major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, civil unrest, wildland and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, tsunamis, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, other occurrences requiring an emergency response).

Incident Command System

A standardized on-scene emergency management construct specifically designed to provide an integrated organizational structure that reflects the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. The Incident Command System is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure and designed to aid in the management of resources during incidents. It is used for all kinds of emergencies and is applicable to small, as well as large and complex, incidents. The Incident Command System is used by various jurisdictions and functional Offices, both public and private, to organize field-level incident management operations.

Incident Commander

The individual responsible for the management of all incident operations.

Incident Command Post

A facility established close to the incident scene (or elsewhere for a diffuse incident or one with multiple scenes), which serves as a base location for managing “field operations” – all activities within the defined scope of the “incident.” Located within the Incident Command Post are designated representatives of the major response Offices for that incident, filling designated positions in the Incident Management Team. The Incident Command Post location is designated by the Incident Commander. If the Incident Command Post and Emergency Operations Center are co-located in the same building, their personnel and procedures should remain physically separated and functionally distinct.

Initial Damage Assessment Report

A report that provides information regarding overall damage to public and private property, thereby providing a basis for emergency declaration and/or disaster assistance.

Integrated Communications Plan

This plan coordinates the use of available communications means and establishes frequency assignments for certain functions.

Incident Management Team

The management unit that directly manages the incident response, and defines the scope of the “incident” within Arlington County. The Incident Management Team provides guidance to responders by establishing incident-specific goals, strategy and objectives, and oversees the development of incident tactics and tactical strategy by the incident operations chief.

Joint Information Center

A facility established to coordinate all incident-related public information activities. It is the central point of contact for all news media. Public information officials from all participating Offices should co-locate at the Joint Information Center.

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction has more than one definition. Each use depends on the context:

A range or sphere of authority. Public Offices have jurisdiction at an incident related to their legal responsibilities and authority. Jurisdictional authority at an incident can be political or geographical (e.g., city, county, tribal, state, or Federal boundary lines) or functional (e.g., law enforcement, public health).

A political subdivision (e.g., Federal, state, county, parish, municipality) with the responsibility for ensuring public safety, health, and welfare within its legal authorities and geographic boundaries.

Local Emergency

The condition defined by the Arlington County Board, and declared by the County Manager or Designee, when in their judgment, the threat or actual occurrence of a disaster is, or threatens to be, of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant coordinated County government action to prevent or alleviate the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering threatened or caused thereby, provided, however, that a local emergency arising wholly or substantially out of a resource shortage may be declared only by the Governor, upon petition of the Arlington County Board, when the Governor deems the threat or actual occurrence of a disaster to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant coordinated County government action to prevent or alleviate the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering threatened or caused thereby. (Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Laws of 2000 as amended, Chapter 3.2, Section 44-146.21) This further explains, “A local emergency may be declared by the local Director of Emergency Management with the consent of the governing body of the political subdivision. In the event the governing body cannot convene due to the disaster or other exigent circumstances, the Director, or in his absence, the Deputy Director, or in the absence of both, any member of the governing body may declare the existence of a local emergency, subject to confirmation by the governing body at its next regularly scheduled meeting or at a special meeting within 14 days of the declaration, whichever occurs first. In the absence of the County Manager, this responsibility shall devolve upon the Deputy County Manager or Acting County Manager. If neither is available the Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management may declare the local emergency.

Local Emergency Planning Committee

Appointed representatives of local government, private industry, business, environmental groups, and emergency response organizations responsible for ensuring that the hazardous materials planning requirements of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA Title III) are complied with.

Mitigation

Activities providing a critical foundation in the effort to reduce the loss of life and property from natural and/or human-caused disasters by avoiding or lessening the impact of a disaster and providing value to the public by creating safer communities. Mitigation seeks to fix the cycle of disaster damage,

reconstruction, and repeated damage. These activities or actions, in most cases, will have a long-term sustained effect.

Mobile Crisis Unit

A field response tram staffed and operated by mental health professionals specially trained in crisis intervention. The Mobile Crisis Unit is available to provide on-scene crisis intervention to incident victims and to follow up work with victims and formal Critical Incident Stress Debriefings for service providers after the incident has been brought under control.

Mutual Aid Agreement

A written agreement between Offices and/or jurisdictions in which they agree to assist one another, upon request, by furnishing personnel and/or equipment in an emergency situation.

National Incident Management System

A set of principles that provides a systematic, proactive approach guiding government Offices at all levels, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life or property and harm to the environment.

National Response Framework

This document establishes a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response. It serves as a guide to enable responders at all levels of government and beyond to provide a unified national response to a disaster. It defines the key principles, roles, and structures that organize the way U.S. jurisdictions plan and respond.

National Weather Service

The federal office which provides localized weather information to the population, and during a weather-related emergency, to state and local emergency management officials.

Nongovernmental Organization

An entity with an association that is based on the interests of its members, individuals, or institutions. It is not created by a government, but it may work cooperatively with government. Such organizations serve a public purpose and are not for private benefit. Examples of nongovernmental organizations include faith-based charity organizations and the American Red Cross.

Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management is the Arlington County Government unit that oversees Arlington County emergency management activities under the direction of the Director of Office of Emergency Management. It includes selected senior staff from the Arlington County Police Department, Fire Department, and designated representation from multiple other Offices; e.g. Department of Technology Services, Public Health Division of the Department of Human Services, Sheriff’s Office. The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for managing the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program and its Component Plans.

Planning Assumptions

Parameters that are expected and used as a context, basis, or requirement for the development of response and recovery plans, processes, and procedures. If a planning assumption is not valid for a

specific incident’s circumstances, the plan may not be adequate to ensure response success. Alternative methods may be needed. For example, if a decontamination capability is based on the planning assumption that the facility is not within the zone of release, this assumption must be verified at the beginning of the response.

Preparedness

Actions that involve a combination of planning, resources, training, exercising, and organizing to build, sustain, and improve operational capabilities. Preparedness is the process of identifying the personnel, training, and equipment needed for a wide range of potential incidents, and developing jurisdiction-specific plans for delivering capabilities when needed for an incident.

Prevention

Actions to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from occurring. Prevention involves actions to protect lives and property. It involves applying intelligence and other information to a range of activities that may include such countermeasures as deterrence operations; heightened inspections; improved surveillance and security operations; investigations to determine the full nature and source of the threat; public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and, as appropriate, specific law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity and apprehending potential perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

Presidential Declaration

A presidential declaration frees up various sources of assistance from the Federal government based on the nature of the request from the governor.

Primary Office

While several County departments will be performing varied and critical tasks during a disaster, in most cases only one office will be considered the ‘primary office.’ The primary office shall be responsible for detailed planning, testing, and evaluation of their respective emergency support function. The Department Director of the primary office shall serve as the principle advisor to the County Executive during the response and recovery phase. In addition, the Department Director or the primary office must assure that essential operations of his/her office will continue, unless otherwise directed by the County Executive or his/her designee.

Regional Information Coordination Center

The center facilitates communications and coordination among local, state, and federal government authorities to ensure an effective and timely response to regional emergencies and incidents, including coordination of decision-making regarding events such as closings, early release of employees, evacuation, transportation decisions, health response, etc.

Recovery

The development, coordination, and execution of service and site restoration plans; the reconstitution of government operations and services; individual, private sector, nongovernmental, and public assistance programs to provide housing and to promote restoration; long-term care and treatment of affected persons; additional measures for social, political, environmental, and economic restoration; evaluation of the incident to identify lessons learned; post-incident reporting; and development of initiatives to mitigate the effects of future incidents.

Response

Immediate actions to save and sustain lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of plans and actions to support short-term recovery.

Risk

The potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident or occurrence, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences.

Risk Analysis

A systematic examination of the components and characteristics of risk.

Risk Assessment

A product or process that collects information and assigns values to risks for the purpose of informing priorities, developing or comparing courses of action, and informing decision making.

Risk Identification

The process of finding, recognizing, and describing potential risks.

Risk Management

The process of identifying, analyzing, assessing, and communicating risk and accepting, avoiding, transferring, or controlling it to an acceptable level at an acceptable cost.

Situation Report

A form which, when completed at the end of each day of local Emergency Operations Center operations, will provide the County with an official daily summary of the status of an emergency and of the local emergency response. A copy should be submitted to the State EOC via fax or submitted through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website.

Span of Control

As defined in the Incident Command System, Span of Control is the number of subordinates one supervisor can manage effectively. Guidelines for the desirable span of control recommend three to seven persons. The optimal number of subordinates is five for one supervisor.

Standard Operating Procedure/Guideline

A reference document or operations manual that provides the purpose, authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method of performing a single function or a number of interrelated functions in a uniform manner.

State of Emergency

The condition declared by the Governor when, in his judgment, a threatened or actual disaster in any part of the State is of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant disaster assistance by the State to supplement local efforts to prevent or alleviate loss of life and property damage.

Storm Surge

A dome of sea water created by strong winds and low barometric pressure in a hurricane that causes severe coastal flooding as the hurricane strikes land.

Terrorism

Activity that involves an act that is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state or other subdivision of the United States; and appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.

Tornado

A local atmospheric storm, generally of short duration, formed by winds rotating at very high speeds, usually in a counter-clockwise direction. The vortex, up to several hundred yards wide, is visible to the observer as a whirlpool-like column of winds rotating about a hollow cavity or funnel. Winds can be as low as 65 miles per hour, but may reach 300 miles per hour or higher.

Tsunami

Sea waves produced by an undersea earthquake. Such sea waves can reach a significant height resulting in damage or devastation to coastal cities and low-lying coastal areas.

Unified Command

Shared responsibility for overall incident management as a result of a multi-jurisdictional or multi-office incident. In the event of conflicting priorities or goals, or where resources are scarce, there must be a clear line of authority for decision-making. Offices contribute to unified command by determining overall goals and objectives, jointly planning for tactical activities, conducting integrated tactical operations and maximizing the use of all assigned resources.

Vulnerability

A physical feature or operational attribute that renders an entity open to exploitation or susceptible to a given hazard.

Warning

The alerting of emergency response personnel and the public to the threat of extraordinary danger and the related effects that specific hazards may cause.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than 4 ounces, or a missile having an explosive incendiary charge of more than 0.25 ounce, or mine or device similar to the above; poison gas; weapon involving a disease organism; or weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life. (Source: 18 USC 2332a as referenced in 18 USC 921).

Arlington County Comprehensive Emergency Management Program Plan.

Arlington County Code, Chapter 58 Emergency Management, updated

07-2006.

Arlington County Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Analysis .

Administrative Regulation by County Manager requiring personnel to

abide by the Comprehensive Emergency Management Program, July 30,

2008.

Resolution by the Board of Arlington County adopting the National

Incident Management System, July 9, 2005.

Northern Virginia Regional Emergency Operations Center Guide Coordinating

Draft (2009).

Northern Virginia Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan (2006).

Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 2000,

Sections 44-146.13 to 44-146.28:1 Code of Virginia, as amended.

Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan, December 2007.

Title 32.1 Section 48.05 to 48.017 Code of Virginia.

The Greater Metropolitan Washington Area Emergency Management Mutual

Aid Operational Plan (2008).

National Capital Region Mutual Aid Agreement (2005).

COG NCR Emergency Alert System MOU (2003).

Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, Public Law 106-390.

Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, Developing and Maintaining

Emergency Operations Plans, Version 2.0, November 2010.

Homeland Security Act of 2002, 6 U.S. C. 101, et seq., as amended.

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 44, Chapter 1, Federal Emergency

Management Office (2009).

Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) Standard (2006).

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, Management of Domestic

Incidents, February 28, 2003.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, Critical Infrastructure

Identification, Prioritization, and Protection, December 17, 2003.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, National Preparedness,

December 17, 2003.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, Annex I, National Planning,

February 2008.

National Response Framework, January, 2008.

National Incident Management System December 2008.

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, 42

U.S.C. 5121, et seq., as amended.

ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM FOR USE BY ALL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES, AS WELL AS

THOSE AGENCIES OUTSIDE OF THE GOVERNMENT THAT ASSIST THE COUNTY.

The Board adopted the following resolution, July 9, 2005:

DESIGNATION OF THE NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS) AS THE BASIS FOR ALL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT IN ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

WHEREAS, the President in Homeland Security Directive (HSPD)-5, directed the Secretary of the Department

of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS) which would provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to work together more effectively and efficiently to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity; and

WHEREAS, the collective input and guidance from all Federal, State, local, and tribal homeland security

partners has been, and will continue to be, vital to the effective implementation and utilization of a comprehensive NIMS; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary and desirable that all Federal, State, local, and tribal emergency agencies and

personnel coordinate their efforts to effectively and efficiently provide the highest levels of incident management; and WHEREAS, to facilitate the most efficient and effective incident management it is critical that Federal, State,

local, and tribal organizations utilize standardized terminology, standardized organizational structures, interoperable communications, consolidated action plans, unified command structures, uniform personnel qualification standards, uniform standards for planning, training, and exercising, comprehensive resource management, and designated incident facilities during emergencies or disasters; and

WHEREAS, the NIMS standardized procedures for managing personnel, communications, facilities and

resources will improve the Arlington County’s ability to utilize federal funding to enhance county agency readiness, maintain first responder safety, and streamline incident management processes; and

WHEREAS, the Incident Command System components of NIMS are already an integral part of various

incident management activities throughout Arlington County, including current emergency management training programs; and

WHEREAS, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks (9-11 Commission) recommended adoption of a

standardized Incident Command System; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNTY BOARD OF ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, by the

virtue of the authority vested in the Board by the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, that there is hereby adopted in Arlington County the National Incident Management System as the County standard for incident management.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Arlington County Local Emergency Declaration

County Manager’s Declaration of Emergency

The County Manager of Arlington County, Virginia, does herby find: 1. That due to <INCIDENT/EVENT>, the County of Arlington is facing dangerous public safety

conditions;

2. That due to <INCIDENT/EVENT>, <OTHER INCIDENT CONDITIONS>, a condition of

extreme peril to life and property necessitates the proclamation of the existence of an

emergency;

3. Under the authority of Code of Virginia § 44-146.21, the County Manager has declared a

Local Emergency;

NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED that I declare that a Local Emergency now

exists throughout Arlington County.

IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that the Comprehensive Emergency

Management Program, Emergency Operations Plan is now in effect.

_____________________ Date ___________________________________________________________ County Manager, Arlington County, Virginia

CONSENT TO COUNTY MANAGER’S

DECLARATION OF LOCAL EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, the County Board of Arlington County, Virginia does hereby find:

4. That due to <INCIDENT/EVENT>, the County of Arlington is facing dangerous conditions;

5. That due to <INCIDENT/EVENT>, <OTHER INCIDENT CONDITIONS>, a condition of

extreme peril to life and property necessitates the Promulgation of the existence of an

emergency;

6. The County Manager declared a local emergency on <DATE>;

7. <INCLUDE STATE/FEDERAL DECLARATION DATE HERE> The Governor of the

Commonwealth of Virginia declared a State of Emergency on <DATE>;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the County Board consents to the declaration of a

local emergency by the County Manager; and

Optional: BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County Board hereby ends the local

emergency at <TIME> on <DATE>.

_______________________ DATE

Attest: __ _

Clerk of the County Board Arlington County, Virginia

Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (VCICF)

The 2009 Session of the General Assembly introduced legislation amending Code of Virginia, §44-146.18,

which was signed into law with an effective date of July 1, 2009, which states:

“…shall include the requirement for a provision that the Department of Criminal Justice Services

(DCJS) and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (VCICF) be contacted immediately to deploy

assistance in the event of an emergency as defined in the emergency response plan when there are

victims as defined in §19.2-11.01, as well as current contact information for both.”

Contact Information:

Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

1100 Bank Street, Richmond, VA 23219

DCJS INFO-Line (888) 887-3418 (Monday through Friday 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM)

Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund (CICF)

2201 West Broad Street, Suite 207, Richmond, VA 23220

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 26927, Richmond, VA 23261

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (800) 552-4007

Fax: (804) 367-1021

Planning Process/Cycle

Planning Meeting

Incident/Event Recognition

Activation & Notification

Initial Response &

Assessment

Incident Brief (ICS 201)

Initial IC/UC Meeting

Command & General

Staff Meeting

IC/UC

Develop/Update

Objectives Meeting

Tactics Meeting

Preparing for the

Tactics Meeting

Preparing for the

Planning Meeting

IAP Preparation &

Approval

Operations Briefing

Execute Plan & Assess Progress

PLANNING

P

New

Operational

Period

Init

ial R

esp

on

se

EOC Planning Process/Cycle

EOC Tactics

Meeting

EOC Planning Meeting/

Conference Call

Incident/Event Recognition

EOC Activation & Notification

EOC Mobilization

Initial EOC Strategy Meeting

EOC Management &

General Staff

EOC Mission

Assignments &

Other Tactics

Developed

Prep for EOC

Planning Meeting

EOC Action Plan Prep &

Approval

Execute EOC

Plan & Assess Progress

EOC Operations Briefing

EOC

PLANNING

P

New

Operational

Period

Init

ial E

OC

Incident Assessment

ESF #1-Transportation

ESF #2-Communications

ESF #3 –Public Works and Engineering

ESF #4-Firefighting

ESF #5-Emergency Management

ESF #6-Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services

ESF #7-Resource Support

ESF #8-Public Health and Medical Services

ESF #9-Urban Search and Rescue

ESF #10-Oil and Hazardous Materials Response

ESF #12-Energy

ESF #13-Public Safety and Security

ESF #14-Long-Term Community Recovery

ESF #15-External Affairs

ESF #16-Employee Support

ESF #17-Volunteer and Donations Management

ESF #18-Damage Assessment

Lead

Department of Environmental Services

Support

Arlington County Police Department

Arlington Public Schools

Department of Parks and Recreation

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

Virginia Department of Transportation

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. Coordination of transportation infrastructure and service restoration activities.

2. Assists agencies and emergency support functions requiring transportation to perform

missions following a disaster or emergency.

B. Scope

1. Coordinating transportation activities and resources during the response phase immediately

following an emergency or disaster.

2. Facilitating damage assessments to establish priorities and determine needs of available

transportation resources.

3. Prioritization and/or allocation of all government transportation resources.

4. Processing all transportation requests from County agencies and emergency support

functions. This ESF will coordinate evacuation transportation as its first priority.

5. Facilitating movement of the public in coordination with other transportation agencies.

II. Situations and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. ESF #1 will assess and report the status of transportation infrastructure and identify resources

necessary to restore and repair damaged infrastructure systems and equipment.

B. Assumptions

1. A disaster may severely damage the transportation infrastructure and interrupt transportation

services. Most localized transportation activities will be hampered by lack of surface

transportation infrastructure.

2. The damage to the transportation infrastructure may influence the means and accessibility

level for relief services and supplies.

3. Disaster responses, which require transportation routes, will be difficult to coordinate

effectively during the immediate post-disaster period.

4. Clearing of access routes will permit a sustained flow of emergency relief, although localized

distribution patterns may be disrupted for a significant period.

5. Signs, signals, and other types of markers, which facilitate traffic movement and control, will

be damaged or destroyed.

6. All government transportation resources not being used for the emergency/disaster will be

available for use.

III. Operations

A. During an incident or event ESF 2 functions as a component of the Infrastructure Support Branch of

the Operations Section of the EOC. The DES Transportation Division Director, or designee, acts as the

Transportation Group Supervisor and reports to the Operations Section Chief.

B. The Arlington County Department of Environmental Services, along with the Virginia Department of

Transportation, are responsible for coordinating resources needed to restore and maintain

transportation routes necessary to protect lives and property during an emergency/disaster.

C. The Department of Environmental Services will provide a qualified representative to the

Emergency Operations Center. This representative will serve as liaison and provide information on

road closures, alternate routes, infrastructure damage, debris removal, restoration activities, and

other transportation related issues as needed and/or requested.

D. The Department of Environmental Services in conjunction with support agencies will assess the

condition of highways, bridges, signals, rail and bus transit, and other components of the

transportation infrastructure system, and where appropriate:

1. Close infrastructure determined to be unsafe;

2. Post signing and barricades; and,

3. Maintain and restore critical transportation routes, facilities, and services.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Environmental Services

1. Prioritizes and/or allocate the resources necessary to maintain and restore the transportation

infrastructure and services.

2. Provides traffic control assistance and damage assessment of the transportation infrastructure.

3. Determines the most viable transportation networks to, from, and within the disaster area and

regulate the use of these transportation networks.

4. Identifies, prioritizes, procures, and allocates available resources to maintain and restore the

transportation infrastructure.

5. Makes available personnel, equipment and other assets to assist in the restoration and

maintenance of the transportation infrastructure.

6. Provides frequent updates to the Operations Section Chief and/or Planning Section within the

EOC with the status of transportation infrastructure.

7. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forwards information to the

Finance/Administration Section Chief at the Emergency Operations Center.

V. Resource Requirements

A. County Departments/Agencies

1. Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State

Police

a. Provide traffic control assistance.

b. Assist with determining the most viable transportation networks to, from and within the

emergency/disaster area and regulate the use of these transportation networks.

c. Provide feedback to the ESF lead agency when a significant change in the transportation

infrastructure is found.

d. Provide frequent updates to the Operations Section Chief at the Emergency Operations

Center as to the status of the transportation infrastructure.

Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief at the Emergency Operations Center.

Lead

Department of Technology Services

Support

Arlington County Office of Emergency

Management

Arlington Department of Human Services

Arlington Department of Environmental Services

Arlington Employee Assistance Program

Cisco

EMC

Fuel Company

Government Emergency Telecommunications

Service (GETS) & Wireless Priority Service

Lee Technologies

Cooper Notification

Sprint

Verizon

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. The purpose of ESF #2 is to provide technology support to public safety and other County

agencies by maintaining continuity of information and telecommunication equipment and

other technical resources.

B. Scope

1. ESF 2 will be responsible for maintaining and/or coordinating maintenance and repair of all

necessary communications systems, to include: County wireless devices (cell phones, iPads,

etc.), satellite phones, land lines, video recording, Internet, fax, wireless access, and cable TV.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. To save lives, minimize property damage and manage consequences of disasters, reliable,

coordinated, interoperable communications between public safety, other County agencies,

inter-jurisdictional mutual aid, state, federal and non-governmental resources is required.

2. The Arlington County Office of Emergency Management operates the Emergency

Communications Center (ECC), which serves as the 911 center and the County warning point.

3. The ECC is most often the first point of contact for the general public.

4. Arlington County emergency communications are heavily dependent upon the commercial

telephone wired and cellular networks.

5. Amateur radio and other non-governmental communications capabilities are available.

6. The ECC has the capability to access the Emergency Alert System, the Outdoor Voice Warning

System, and the Arlington Broadcast Radio Station “AM 1700” to deliver warnings to the

public.

B. Assumptions

1. Use of all available forms of warning and notification will not provide sufficient warning to the

general public and special needs population.

2. Emergency/disaster occurrences could have an unfavorable effect on the County’s

communications system.

3. The commercial telephone system serving Arlington County is vulnerable to the effects of

emergencies/disasters and to possible system overload due to increased usage.

4. Electricity may be lost during emergency/disaster situations, necessitating the use of auxiliary

power.

5. It is possible for neighborhoods within Arlington County to be isolated from communications

for extended periods of time. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are important

volunteer resources to mitigate this condition.

6. Technical failure, damage or loss of a telecommunications central office, a communications

tower or repeater could hamper communications or the ability to alert emergency personnel

throughout the region.

7. The ability to repair damage to the County communications system is contingent upon the

availability of private commercial repair personnel.

8. During or following an emergency situation occurring during normal work hours DTS will

reduce or suspend the planned and non-priority services that require personnel support and

re-deploy those staff as needed in support of the emergency.

9. State assistance may be needed to procure supplemental communications equipment or to

locate available repair personnel following a major emergency/disaster

10. There is typically no equipment warehousing with regard to day-to-day technology resources.

If additional equipment such as PC, printers, phones, etc. are required those items will have to

be acquired locally, off the shelf or ordered with express delivery.

11. State assistance may be needed to procure supplemental communications equipment or to

locate available repair personnel following a major emergency/disaster.

12. Mutual aid repeaters in contiguous jurisdictions may not be available, or may not be able to

provide sufficient coverage or channel loading to compensate for technical failure or damage

to telecommunications resources in the county, during an emergency.

III. Operations

A. General

1. Public Safety Answering Point for all of Arlington County.

2. The ECC will initiate notification and warning of appropriate personnel. Landline telephone, voice

or data, two-way radio, and wireless telecommunications devices may be utilized to notify public

officials, Emergency Operations Center staff, emergency personnel and others as required.

3. Emergency service vehicles equipped with public address systems may be used to warn the

general public.

4. The ECC is operated 24-hours a day and serves as the Arlington County Warning Point.

5. Notification of governmental officials and emergency personnel by the ECC will follow

established procedures.

6. Emergency communications standard operating guidelines will be implemented. Back-up

capabilities will be activated as necessary.

7. The Director of Emergency Management or his/her designee must authorize the use of the

Emergency Alert System, Outdoor Voice Warning System, and AM 1700.

8. Emergency warning may originate at the federal, state or local level of government.

9. Timely warning requires dissemination to the public by all available means:

a. Arlington County Emergency Communications Center

b. Arlington Alert and the Employee Alert Systems

c. Arlington County AM Radio Station (AM1700)

d. Arlington County web site

e. Local radio and television stations

f. NOAA Weather Radio (National Weather Service)

g. Mobile public address systems

h. Outdoor Voice Warning system

i. Telephones

j. General broadcast over all available AM/FM radio and Broadcast and Cable TV station

channels and newspapers

10. Field emergency service personnel utilize the County emergency communications networks to

communicate with the ECC and the Emergency Operations Center.

11. Authorized Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) amateur radio volunteers may

augment primary communications. The Emergency Operations Center may authorize the

operation of an amateur radio station and or repeater system during periods of activation.

12. The County warning point will assist the National Weather Service with dissemination of

severe weather advisories and forwarding of related information, situation reports etc., as

needed by the County.

B. Specific

1. Telephone Service

a. Commercial telephone service is provided by Verizon telephone.

b. Cellular voice and data capability is provided by several companies in the area.

c. Verizon telephone will be furnished a priority restoration list for critical infrastructure

telephone services prior to and/or following a major disaster.

d. During emergencies/disasters, designated Arlington County personnel or qualified

volunteer resources will staff information telephones to respond to questions from the

general public.

2. Two-Way Radio System

a. The County’s Communications System is designated as the principle system to be used for

direction and control activities. Principle users are as follows:

i. Law Enforcement

ii. Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services

iii. Emergency Management

iv. Medical Facilities

v. Public Works

vi. Public Health

vii. Public Schools

b. Other two-way communications systems which may be used to communicate with the

Emergency Operations Center during emergencies include:

i. Unlicensed public two-way communications, Citizen’s Band (CB), Family Radio Service

(FRS) and Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS).

ii. Licensed civilian radio services, Business Land Mobile Radio Service (LMR), General

Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Amateur Radio (HF, VHF and UHF)

iii. Facsimile Machine

iv. National Warning System

v. Washington Area Warning System

vi. WebEOC

vii. Satellite Telephones

c. The Commander of the Emergency Communications Center will be responsible for

maintaining the operational readiness of the primary and back-up centers.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Technology Services

1. Provide voice, video and data services to an incident and the Emergency Operations Center.

2. Secure additional technology equipment/resources when needed.

3. Maintain a portable technology “crash cart”.

B. Arlington County Office of Emergency Management

1. Develop and maintain primary and alternate communications system for contact with local

jurisdictions, state agencies, and private sector agencies required for mission support.

2. Ensure the ability to provide continued service as the Public Safety Answering Point for

incoming emergency calls originated in Arlington County.

3. Ensure communications lines and equipment essential to emergency services are maintained

by the appropriate vendor.

4. During Emergency Operations Center activation, dispatch personnel from fire and rescue will

be assigned to the Emergency Operations Center to assist with communications functions.

5. Develop and maintain an emergency communications program and plan.

6. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

C. Arlington Public Schools and Department of Parks and Recreation

1. Develop emergency communications support plans, which provide alternate or supplementary

support to the communications infrastructure during emergency/disaster situations.

2. During Emergency Operations Center activation provide the capability for department radio to

be stationed and staffed at the Emergency Operations Center.

3. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief at the Emergency Operations Center.

B. Amateur Radio and Private Sector Agencies

1. The County may use amateur radio operators and other non-governmental volunteer groups

(REACT, Land Mobile Radio, business radio, RACES, etc.) to assist with primary or alternate

emergency radio communications support.

2. The amateur radio and other non-governmental volunteer groups/operators used in this role

will be under the authority of the Department of Technology Services (County Radio Amateur

Civil Emergency Service (RACES) Radio Officer).

3. The amateur radio and other non-governmental volunteer operators will be required to have

successfully passed a background check prior to being credentialed for this task.

4. The amateur radio and other nongovernmental volunteer groups/operators will be required to

actively participate in regular training and exercises established by the Department of

Technology Services and the Office of Emergency Management.

V. Resource Requirements

1. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and

types of communication devices will be developed during normal planning processes and

exercises.

Lead

Department of Environmental Services

Support

Department of Parks and Recreation

Community Planning, Housing and Development

Department of Human Services

Arlington County Police Department

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington Public Schools

Department of Technology Services

Public Utilities

Virginia Department of Transportation

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. The Public Works and Engineering function (ESF 3) coordinates the operations,

identification, and management of critical/vital facilities and the disposal and containment

of debris in the event that an emergency/disaster situation results in widespread debris

(downed trees, building materials, etc.)

B. Scope

1. Vital Infrastructure: ESF 3 collects, analyzes, and disseminates information on the impact

and status of critical infrastructure and systems including solid waste, water treatment and

distribution, wastewater collection, sewage treatment and other vital facilities to the

County. This function encompasses the full range of public works and engineering services

that may be required to support emergency response operations and provide critical

services to residents impacted by the incident.

2. Debris Management: ESF 3 will collect, process, recycle and dispose of debris from public

right-of-ways and public property. These operations will ensure adequate vehicle and

pedestrian movement and minimize health risks associated with debris. ESF 3 will manage

disposal operations of debris in the most efficient, effective and permissible manner.

3. Arlington County Schools are responsible for their own debris removal and disposal

operations.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Many of identified facilities are vital to emergency response during a major emergency or

disaster situation. Other facilities are critical for immediate and long-term recovery operations.

2. Arlington County maintains a list of public and private sector resources that could be utilized

during an emergency/disaster situation.

3. Arlington County’s vital facility information is updated on a regular basis. These records are then

updated with the GIS Mapping Center.

4. Several categories of vital facilities and resources have been identified in Arlington County,

including:

a. Vital Facilities

i. Public Shelter Facilities

ii. Health/Medical Facilities

iii. Government Facilities

iv. Communications Facilities

v. Correctional Facilities

vi. Public Buildings

vii. Emergency Services Facilities

b. Vital Utilities

i. Communications Network Components

ii. Electric Supply and Distribution System Components

iii. Transportation Networks

iv. Water Distribution

v. Sanitary, Sewer, and Waste Water Facilities

c. Special Needs Facilities

i. Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing Facilities

ii. Day Care Facilities

d. Vital Resource and Service Sites

i. Private Shelter/Reception Centers

ii. Landfill and Debris Collection Sites

iii. Public/Private Supply Centers

iv. Helicopter Landing sites

5. The Arlington County Department of Environmental Services will handle debris management for

the County.

B. Assumptions

1. Vital Infrastructure

a. Identification of vital facilities will make it possible to predict the consequences of disaster

and to expedite the response of necessary resources from outside the area of impact.

b. Knowledge of vital facilities allows for the implementation of planned mitigation

approaches/projects in an attempt to reduce vulnerabilities.

c. Knowledge of vital facilities will reduce the dependence on unwritten and assumed

information.

d. Knowledge of vital facilities will expedite damage assessment and loss estimation.

e. The identification of vital facilities allows for the prioritization of post-disaster areas and

restoration.

2. Debris Management

a. In an emergency/disaster situation, large amounts of debris will be produced. This debris

will need to be disposed of properly.

b. Depending on location of heavily damaged areas, temporary landfills may need to be

opened to store certain types of debris until disposal can be achieved.

c. In the event of an emergency/disaster, Arlington County may need to be granted a

variance in state burning regulations in order to dispose of certain types of debris.

d. Private property owners will rely on insurance coverage, contractors and other means, at

their own expense, to remove and dispose of debris located on one’s own personal

property, unless it intrudes into public right-of-way.

III. Operations

A. County-wide operations

1. The County is responsible for the coordination of the recovery efforts.

2. Recovery operations will initially be coordinated from the Emergency Operations Center.

3. Accurate emergency logs and expenditure records must be kept from the onset of the disaster

by each County agency/organization.

4. A Presidential Declaration of Disaster may authorize two basic types of disaster relief

assistance:

a. Individual Assistance

i. Supplementary federal assistance provided under the Stafford Act to individuals and

families adversely affected by a major disaster or emergency. Such assistance may be

provided directly by the federal government or through state or local governments or

disaster relief organizations.

b. Public Assistance

i. Supplementary federal assistance provided under the Stafford Act to state and local

governments or certain private, non-profit organizations other than assistance for the

direct benefit of families and individuals.

5. The Director of the Office of Emergency Management will take the lead in determining

mitigation projects needed following a disaster and make applications for available mitigation

grants.

6. Following any major emergency/disaster, an after-action meeting will be held to evaluate the

jurisdiction’s response to the event.

B. Vital Infrastructure Specific Operations

1. Information pertaining to vital facilities and resources will be maintained by the Arlington

County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development and will be accessible

to the Arlington County Emergency Operations Center.

2. Continuous update of the vital facilities inventory will be maintained by the Department of

Environmental Services.

3. Vital facilities may serve as the basis for establishing mutual aid and memorandums of

understanding with other governmental and non-governmental agencies.

C. Debris Management Specific Operations

1. The Arlington County Director of the Department of Environmental Services or designee is

responsible for solid waste management in Arlington County. He/she will direct the flow of

debris disposal within the County during an emergency/disaster situation.

2. The Director of the Department of Environmental Services will direct other agencies as to

locations for temporary storage of debris.

3. The Director of the Department of Environmental Services will work in conjunction with the

Health Department in the event that waste products become a threat to the health and

welfare of the community.

4. All debris removed to landfill sites will not be disposed of until after being viewed by Federal

Damage Assessment personnel to facilitate reimbursement of removal and disposal costs.

D. Temporary Landfill Sites

1. In the event that debris is widespread, the Director of the Department of Environmental

Services, in conjunction with state regulations, may need to locate temporary landfill sites to

store debris such as trees, branches and building materials.

2. When disaster conditions permit, and an estimate can be made as to the amount of debris to

be contained, temporary landfill sites will be selected and activated.

3. Temporary landfill sites should be selected in regards to distance from the damaged areas,

access to the site and types of debris to be contained.

4. Information should be publicized as to the location of the temporary landfill sites and as to what

type of material will be accepted at each site.

IV. Organization Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Environmental Services

1. Assumes the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Provides personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in emergency operations

such as repairing roads, bridges, debris removal, flood fighting and other related tasks.

3. Coordinates with ESF 18 to provide assistance in conducting damage assessment of County

facilities.

4. Makes emergency repairs to essential County facilities and infrastructure.

5. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forwards information to the EOC

Finance/Administration Section Chief.

B. Department of Environmental Services (Solid Waste Bureau)

1. Provides personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in debris removal

operations.

2. Identifies emergency landfill areas for debris removal.

3. Coordinates activities associated with emergency landfill operations.

4. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forwards them to the EOC

Finance/Administration Section Chief.

C. Department of Environmental Services (Water, Sewer, Streets Division)

1. Performs damage assessment activities of water systems and sanitary sewer and waste water

systems and determine necessary repairs.

2. Makes emergency repairs to water systems and sanitary sewer and waste water systems.

3. Provides personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist with providing water for

human health needs and firefighting operations.

4. Maintains records of costs and expenditures and forwards them to the EOC

Finance/Administration Section Chief.

D. Environmental Services (Facilities Management Bureau)

1. Report damage assessment data on County buildings and property to the EOC.

2. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

E. Private Sector Companies

1. Will be requested to provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in

emergency operations such as repairing roads, bridges, water systems, debris removal, flood

fighting and other related tasks.

V. Resource Requirements

A. County Departments/Agencies

1. Health Department and Environmental Health

a. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in conducting

damage assessment of water systems and waste water systems.

b. Assist in identifying suitable debris disposal sites and provide guidance on areas affected

by hazardous materials.

c. Issue emergency environmental waivers for disposal of materials from debris clearance

and demolition activities.

d. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the EOC

Finance/Administration Section Chief.

Lead

Arlington County Fire Department

Support

Office of Emergency Management

Arlington County Police Department

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Human Services

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

Employee Assistance Program

American Red Cross

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. ESF #4 is the liaison between on-scene incident command and the EOC to ensure a

coordinated and comprehensive response during an incident or event by coordinating fire

response resource requests and situational updates.

2. Ensure emergency medical treatment for disaster casualties.

B. Scope

1. ESF #4 will work directly with the incident commander(s) or unified command to provide

resource support outside of the scope of the incident.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Automatic aid agreements exist between Arlington County and the following jurisdictions:

a. City of Alexandria

b. City of Fairfax

c. Fairfax County

d. Joint Base Myer- Henderson Hall

e. Regan National Airport

2. Mutual aid agreements also exist with other jurisdictions throughout the National Capital

Region through the Council of Governments, as well as through statewide mutual aid

agreements.

B. Assumptions

1. Existing fire and rescue personnel and equipment will utilize most emergency existing mutual

aid agreements for resources orders and/or requests. ESFs 4, 9 and 10 will provide support

and coordination beyond these established agreements to obtain necessary and critical

resources.

2. When additional or specialized support is required, assistance can be obtained from

neighboring counties, state and federal agencies, through the Arlington County Emergency

Communications Center or the Emergency Operations Center.

3. In a disaster, the fire department may be called upon to do much more than their typical

response to fires and emergency medical calls. The fire department will assist with rescue and

extrication of trapped persons, assess hazardous materials situations, remove debris on

primary roadways, evacuations, reconnaissance, traffic control and security.

4. The neighborhood fire station may become a place where people go for information and

assistance.

III. Operations

A. ESFs 4, 9, and 10 will proactively anticipate resource projections and situation need

assessments. However, ESF personnel are to assist Incident Command with requests through

coordination and will not operate at will or independently.

B. ESF will plan and make preparations for additional resource requests prior to the actual need.

Coordination with the EOC and Incident Command is paramount.

C. Contingency plans will be created, as appropriate, and coordinated with the EOC Operations

Section Chief and/or Planning Section.

D. Updates will be provided to EOC Operations Section Chief and/or Planning Section with ESF

specific issues, needs, findings, and ACFD incident action plans.

E. Resource order requests will be completed through the most appropriate and financially sound

means available.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Coordinate the acquisition of personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to

assist in fire suppression activities.

B. Develop operational procedures to include:

1. Internal and external alert notification

2. Expenditure documentation

3. Operational checklists

C. Provide the EOC with frequent updates as to the status of incident activities.

D. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the

EOC Finance/Administration Section Chief.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Mutual Aid jurisdictions/agencies

1. Non-Arlington County departments/agencies will assume appropriate role in the Incident

Command System and/or provide incident command support as requested by the Incident

Commander.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the ESF 4 lead/liaison

and/or EOC Finance/Administration Section Chief.

Lead

Office of Emergency Management

Support

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Police Department

Department of Technology Services

Department of Environmental Services

Community Planning, Housing and Development

County Manager’s Office

Communications Office

Department of Management and Finance

Office of the County Attorney

American Red Cross

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. To coordinate, direct, and/or support emergency operations from the County’s Emergency

Operations Center utilizing the Incident Command System.

B. Scope

1. ESF #5 will coordinate and support resource requests, incident needs, and the release of

emergency information to the public through External Affairs, maintaining accuracy and

timeliness. ESF #5 and the EOC work to support the incident commander/unified command, if

established, and will set up the structure in the center using the appropriate emergency

support functions required to meet the incident needs.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Many hazards have the potential for causing incidents which require centralized coordination.

B. During incidents and/or events, management and coordination functions can be accomplished at the

EOC, thereby allowing field units to concentrate on essential tasks.

C. Responsibility for the performance of emergency support functions is charged to agencies that

conduct similar activities during normal operations. Where such an alignment of emergency

support functions and normal operations are not possible, the establishment of an emergency

organization is required.

D. The Section Chief or other designated party is responsible for the coordination and performance

of the assigned emergency support functions.

III. Operations

A. Upon activation of the EOC, the Director of the Office of Emergency Management, or designee,

will act as the EOC Manager and will coordinate EOC operations and provide necessary

coordination and direction for response and recovery activities.

B. The Department Head of each agency involved in incident and/or event response or recovery

activities will:

1. Maintain operational control of the agency’s personnel, equipment, and supplies.

2. Identify a minimum of one primary and four alternate representatives capable of functioning as

the agency representative at the Emergency Operations Center.

C. The Emergency Operations Center structure will be based on the National Incident Management

System and the National Response Framework.

D. The Office of Emergency Management will coordinate training for Emergency Support Function

personnel and conduct exercises involving the EOC.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. When activated, the EOC can provide coordination, direction, and control of resources.

B. The EOC will focus on collecting critical information which is of common value or need to more

than one emergency support function or operational element to create an overall perspective of

the incident. Emergency Support Functions need to provide this critical information which will be

used to develop action plans, reports, briefings, and displays.

C. The Planning Section will produce situation reports, which will be distributed to EOC staff and on-

scene incident command.

D. The staff of the EOC will support short- and long-term planning activities. Plans will be short and

concise, based on priorities established by the Emergency Operations Team and Incident

Management Team. The Emergency Operations Center staff will record the activities planned and

track their progress.

E. The staff of the EOC will not release information directly to the public. Staff will provide

information to External Affairs, or ESF 15 if activated, for release to the public or the media.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and types of

communication devices will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Department of Human Services

Support

Office of Emergency Management

Department of Parks and Recreation

Community Planning, Housing and Development

Arlington County Police Department

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

Arlington Public Schools

American Red Cross

Animal Welfare League of Arlington

I. Introduction A. Purpose

1. Provide shelter, food, and emergency first aid following an emergency/disaster; a welfare inquiry system to collect, receive, and report information about the status of victims and assist with family reunification; bulk distribution of emergency relief supplies to emergency/disaster victims; and, operate Family Assistance Centers.

B. Scope 1. Initial response activities will focus on meeting urgent needs of emergency/disaster victims,

including members of special needs groups. Additional assistance will be based on needs of the emergency/disaster victims, the emergency/disaster situation and available resources.

2. This Emergency Support Function encompasses: a. Shelter

i. The provision of emergency shelter for emergency/disaster victims includes the use of: (i) Pre-identified shelter sites in existing structures. (ii) Creation of temporary facilities. (iii) Similar facilities outside the disaster affected area should further evacuation be

necessary. b. Feeding

i. The provision for feeding emergency/disaster victims and emergency workers may be accomplished through a combination of fixed sites, mobile feeding units, delivery to homes and food distribution.

c. Emergency First Aid i. Emergency First Aid services will be provided to emergency/disaster victims and

workers at mass care facilities. This emergency first aid service will be supplemental to emergency health, mental health and medical services established to meet the needs of emergency/disaster victims (see ESF 8: Health and Medical Services).

d. Family Assistance Centers i. Family assistance centers will be established to provide support and information to

victims and families. Services include disaster welfare inquiries, behavioral health, mass fatality issues, conducting investigations with Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (CME), working with other agencies, including local agencies and FEMA for financial and other assistance.

e. Disaster Welfare Inquiries

i. Information regarding individuals residing within the affected area will be collected and provided to immediate family members outside the affected area. This system will also aid in the reunification of family members.

f. Bulk Distribution of Emergency Relief i. Systems will be established for distribution of emergency/disaster relief items. The

distribution of these items will be determined by the requirement to meet urgent needs of emergency/disaster victims.

g. Pet Shelter i. The provision of emergency shelter for disaster victims includes the sheltering of their

pets. (Annex A-Pet Friendly Shelter) II. Situation and Assumptions

A. The responsibility for the provision of temporary emergency shelter and care for victims is the responsibility of County government.

B. Individuals and families can be deprived of normal means of obtaining food, clothing, shelter and medical needs. Family members may become separated and unable to locate each other. Individuals may develop serious physical or psychological problems requiring specialized medical services.

C. As a result of a major incident affecting other jurisdictions within the Commonwealth of Virginia, Arlington County may be requested to shelter evacuees.

D. As a result of a public health threat, quarantine and/or isolation may be necessary. If quarantine is implemented due to a public health threat, it may require special considerations and alter individual and community responses.

III. Operations A. As needed, sheltering, feeding and emergency first aid activities will begin immediately after the

emergency/disaster. Staging of these facilities may occur before the disaster when the emergency/disaster is anticipated.

B. Information about persons identified on shelter lists, casualty lists, hospital admission, etc, will be made available to family members to the extent allowable under confidentiality regulations.

C. Efforts will be made to coordinate among agencies providing information to minimize the number of inquiry points for families.

D. ESF #6 will report to either the EOC or the incident scene, depending on incident needs and operations.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities A. Department of Human Services

1. Assume the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function. 2. Ensure health standards, including food, sanitation and water, are maintained at all service sites. 3. Assess community behavioral health needs following an emergency/disaster. 4. Provide personnel, supplies and other resources to assist in shelter operations for victims of the

affected emergency/disaster area. 5. Ensure provision of emergency medical support at the shelter sites. 6. Assist in the development and maintenance of a shelter operations plan. 7. Oversee and approve all Memorandums of Understandings. 8. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief. B. Department of Parks and Recreation

1. Provide personnel, supplies and other resources necessary to conduct shelter operations for victims of the affected emergency/disaster area. DHS will provide back-up assistance when requested.

2. During shelter operations provide frequent updates as to the shelter status to the Emergency Operations Center.

3. Deploy shelter trailer as needed and requested by ESF #6 and/or OEM. 4. Develop and maintain shelter operation plans. 5. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief. C. Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies, and other resources to support in setting up and running of shelter facilities.

2. Provide for the mass feeding of evacuees and relief workers at the shelter facilities. 3. Provide first aid stations at shelter facilities. 4. Assist in the coordination of the Disaster Welfare Inquiry center. 5. Assist with the development and maintenance of a shelter operations plan. 6. Assist in providing mental health counseling and support services. 7. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief. D. School Board

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources needed to assist in shelter operations for victims of the affected emergency/disaster area.

2. Facilitate the opening of emergency shelter sites upon request by the Director of Emergency Management or his/her designee.

3. Provide personnel to assist in the mass feeding of evacuees and relief workers at the shelter sites. 4. Assist in the development and maintenance of a shelter operations plan. 5. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief. E. Law Enforcement

1. Provide law enforcement presence as needed to preserve orderly conduct. 2. Provide the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates as to the shelter status. 3. Assist in the development and maintenance of a shelter operations plan. 4. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief. V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies, equipment, facilities and communications needs that will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Department of Management and Finance

Support

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Human Services

Office of Emergency Management

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Police Department

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

American Red Cross

Department of Parks and Recreation

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. This section provides for the identification and management of resources that may be utilized

during emergency/disaster situations.

B. Scope

1. ESF #7 is responsible for coordinating the acquisition of resources necessary to incident

operations or continuity of government or operations.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Many of these resources would be critical to the immediate emergency response following a

major emergency/disaster event and others may be critical for long term recovery operations.

2. Several categories of resources have been identified in Arlington County:

a. Personnel

b. Equipment

c. Facilities

d. Information

e. Commodities

3. Arlington County Department of Management and Finance maintains a list of public and

private sector resources that could be utilized during an emergency/disaster response.

(Business and Industry Annex to the EOP).

4. All Arlington County departments have resources that can be used during an emergency.

B. Assumptions

1. During or following an incident and/or event, the initial emergency response will be

dependent upon local public and private resources.

2. Adequate local resources do not exist to cope with a catastrophic incident response.

3. Identified public and private sector resources will be available when needed for incident

response.

4. Necessary personnel and supplies will be available to support emergency resource response.

III. Operations

A. Arlington County departments and agencies will use their own resources and equipment during

emergency/disaster situations and will have control over the management of the resources as

needed to respond to the situation.

B. The Emergency Management Director will initiate the commitment of resources from outside

government with operational control being exercised by the on-site commander of the service

requiring that resource.

C. All resource expenditures will be reported to the Arlington County Emergency Operations Center

during emergency/disaster situations.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Management and Finance

1. Assumes the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Schedules personnel to conduct resource management operations.

3. Provides frequent updates to the Emergency Operations Center during resource management

operations.

4. Assists with the development and maintenance of a resource management plan.

5. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forwards them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

B. Office of Emergency Management

1. Provides personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in resource

management operations.

2. Provides the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates during resource

management operations.

3. Assists with the development and maintenance of a resource management plan.

4. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

C. Department of Environmental Services

1. Provides personnel, equipment, supplies and facilities to assist in resource management

operations.

2. Provides the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates during resource

management operations.

3. Maintains records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies, equipment, facilities and

communications needs that will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Department of Human Services

Support

Department of Environmental Services

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Police Department

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

Employee Assistance Program

American Red Cross

Regional Hospitals

Northern Virginia Hospital Alliance-RHCC

Virginia Hospital Center

Animal Welfare League of Arlington

Virginia Department of Agriculture and

Consumer Services

Virginia Department of Health

Arlington Public Schools

DOD Healthcare facilities – Pentagon DiLorenzo

TriCare Clinic and Joint Base Myer Henderson

Hall Andrew Rader Clinic

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. Ensure comprehensive public health and medical response following an emergency/disaster.

2. Ensure continuance of medical care services and the availability of medical supplies.

3. Provide measures for communicable disease prevention and control (disease surveillance,

investigation, containment and coordination of public messaging), including environmental

health.

4. Assess behavioral health needs following disasters and provide interventions to minimize

harmful stress levels for the general public.

5. Provide environmental health and public health support to all other ESF groups and County

agencies, as the incident requires.

6. Ensure food and water safety.

7. Ensure vector control.

8. Control and eradication of an outbreak of contagious or economically devastating animal

disease, highly infective exotic plant disease, or economically devastating plant pest infestation.

II. Situation and Assumption

A. Situation

1. Medical care services are an essential element of emergency/disaster response.

2. Many casualties requiring emergency transportation and medical care may occur as the result

of an emergency/disaster. Persons receiving medical care prior to the emergency/disaster will

continue to require medical treatment. The systems and facilities that provide medical

services may be impaired or totally disrupted by the impact of an emergency/disaster.

3. In the aftermath of a major emergency/disaster, the public’s health can be jeopardized in many

ways. A major emergency/disaster can disrupt or halt the public utilities, water supplies and

wastewater treatment systems. Contaminants may enter water supply systems. Destruction or

damage to homes, apartments, or other means of housing can dislocate people and require the

establishment of mass care shelter facilities. Spoilage of food and medications can occur due to

lack of power and quarantine or condemnation measures may become necessary to control the

spread of disease.

B. Assumptions

1. Emergencies/Disasters have the potential to raise stress levels in survivors and emergency

responders, which may negatively affect their mental and emotional well-being.

2. Situations with potential threat to health and safety of community require coordination of

public health and medical response. These could include natural disease outbreaks.

3. All support agencies are responsible for maintaining their individual plans/procedures and have

the necessary resources to accomplish their missions.

III. Operations

A. The Public Health Division, as the lead agency for ESF 8 is responsible for identifying and

evaluating the impact of emergencies on the health of the community and the environment. The

planning and implementation of response actions relevant to the identified threat are then

coordinated through the incident command structure and the EOC. ESF #8 will consider activating

or utilizing several functional areas to assist with an incident or event response, such as:

1. Epidemiological Investigation and Surveillance 2. Laboratory Services 3. Disease Containment 4. Policy Support 5. Community Behavioral Health Care Support 6. Responder Behavioral Health Care Support 7. Environmental Health 8. Vector Control 9. Water Quality and Control 10. Water Contamination 11. Environmental Health Surveillance 12. Animal Control 13. Occupational Health 14. Healthcare System Surge Capacity and Capability 15. Mass Fatality Management

IV. Organizational Roles and Departmental Responsibilities

A. Department of Human Services (Public Health Division)

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to coordinate plans and

programs for public health activities during an emergency/disaster.

2. Inspect and advise on general food handling and sanitation matters to ensure safe food supply

at distribution, restaurants, and incident operations sites.

3. Coordinate though External Affairs (ESF 15) the dissemination of disaster-related public health

information to the public.

4. Coordinate, facilitate, and provide applicable health guidance and preventative health services.

5. Coordinate with hospitals and other health providers on response to health needs.

6. Provide investigation, surveillance and take measures for containment of harmful health effects

related to disaster impact to include food borne disease surveillance and field investigation.

7. Provide coordination of laboratory services.

8. Ensure water quality control assistance.

9. Facilitate the identification of temporary morgue space and associated resources when morgue

facilities exceed surge capacity.

10. Provide updates to the Emergency Operations Center as to the status of Public Health, as

requested or necessary.

11. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

B. Department of Human Services (Behavioral Health Division)

1. Assess behavioral health needs in the community following an emergency/disaster considering

both the immediate and cumulative stress resulting from the emergency/disaster.

2. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to ensure emergency

behavioral care services to save lives during emergencies and disasters.

3. Coordinate behavioral health activities among community agencies and the public.

4. Coordinate through External Affairs (ESF 15) the dissemination of public education on critical

incident stress and stress management techniques.

5. Provide outreach to serve identified behavioral health needs.

6. Coordinate with Mass Care (ESF 6) to identify shelter or Family Assistance Center occupants that

may require behavioral health assistance.

7. Provide updates to the Emergency Operations Center as to the status of Behavioral Health

activities, as required and necessary.

8. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

C. Arlington County Fire Department/Emergency Medical Services

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to ensure emergency

medical services to save lives during emergencies and disasters.

2. Coordinate with hospital medical control on patient care issues and operations.

3. Follow established procedures in responding to emergency medical incidents.

4. Coordinate transportation of the sick and injured with area hospitals or receiving facilities and

other EMS agencies.

5. Provide updates to the Emergency Operations Center as to the status of Emergency Medical

Services, as required and necessary.

6. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration Section Chief.

D. Department of Environmental Services

1. Certify emergency water supplies for human consumption.

2. Provide water quality control.

3. Coordinate wastewater management.

4. Coordinate public messaging with ESF #15 and the Public Health Division when appropriate

5. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

E. Law Enforcement

1. Assist with security at facilities providing health and medical services.

2. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

F. Employee Assistance Program

1. Assess and provide stress management support for County and School employees.

2. Record costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

G. Regional Hospitals, Regional Hospital Coordinating Center and Medical Community

1. Provide medical care for those injured or ill.

2. Coordinate with EMS and other health providers on patient care capacity.

3. Coordinate with PH, RHCC and the medical community on community health and medical issues

to provide strategies for increasing healthcare system capacity and capability required for

emergency and disaster response.

H. Department of Defense Healthcare Facilities

1. Provide medical care for their respective clientele.

2. Coordinate with Arlington County Public Health to ensure safe and effective strategies in

addressing communicable disease and other public health emergencies.

3. Communicate pertinent information to Arlington County Public Health and facilitate ongoing

incident information as appropriate.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies, equipment, facilities and

communications needs will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Arlington County Fire Department

Support

Office of Emergency Management

Arlington County Police Department

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Human Services

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

American Red Cross

Employee Assistance Program

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. ESF #9 works with and acquires the resources available for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) in

Arlington County and the process for obtaining other USAR assets.

B. Scope

1. Locating, extricating and providing for the immediate medical treatment of victims trapped in

collapsed structures.

II. Situations and Assumptions

A. Disasters may cause conditions that vary widely in scope, urgency, and degree of devastation.

Substantial numbers of persons could be in life threatening situations requiring prompt rescue and

medical care.

B. Rescue personnel will encounter extensive damage to buildings.

C. Because the mortality rate dramatically increases beyond 72 hours, search and rescue must begin

immediately.

III. Operations

A. Arlington County Fire Department will be the primary responder to the incidents involving

structural collapse.

B. Arlington County Fire Department has a technical rescue team.

C. Arlington County Fire Department has a special response vehicle to support technical rescue.

D. Assistance will be requested from the Alexandria Fire Department’s technical rescue team as well

as the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s technical rescue team as necessary.

Additionally, assistance may be requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA) for an Urban Search and Rescue Team.

E. Requests should be made to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management for additional

Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) support if necessary.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Arlington County Fire Department

1. Assume the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to locate, extricate and

treat the injured/trapped victims.

3. Provide frequent updates to the Emergency Operations Center as to the status of Urban Search

and Rescue Operations.

4. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/

Administration Section Chief.

B. Office of Emergency Management

1. Coordinate the acquisition of personnel, supplies and administrative support necessary to

conduct Urban Search and Rescue operations.

2. Request further assistance from Virginia Department of Emergency Management for additional

Urban Search and Rescue resources.

3. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

C. Arlington County Police Department

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary for security at the

emergency/disaster area.

2. Assist with the control of ingress and egress of personnel and equipment.

3. Provide the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates as to the status of

security in the emergency/disaster area.

4. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

D. Private Sector

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to aid in the

extrication and treatment of the injured/trapped victims.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the

Finance/Administration Section Chief.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Mutual Aid jurisdictions/agencies

1. Non-Arlington County departments/agencies will assume appropriate role in the Incident

Command System and/or provide incident command support as requested by the Incident

Commander.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the ESF 9 lead/liaison and/or

EOC Finance/Administration Section Chief.

Lead

Arlington County Fire Department

Support

Office of Emergency Management

Arlington County Police Department

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Human Services

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

American Red Cross

Employee Assistance Program

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. ESF #10 coordinates with a response by Arlington County to hazardous materials emergencies.

B. Scope

1. ESF #10 will coordinate and acquire resources within Arlington County and the surrounding region

to mitigate, respond to, and investigate Hazardous Material incidents.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. The threat of an incident involving hazardous materials has escalated due to the increase in

everyday use and transportation of chemicals by the various segments of our population.

2. Hazardous materials emergencies could occur from any one of several sources including

roadway and rail transportation, aircraft accidents or fixed facility accidents, although the

most probable occurrence is household hazardous materials.

3. Evacuation or sheltering-in-place may be required to protect portions of Arlington County.

4. Victims of a hazardous materials incident may require unique or special medical treatment not

typically available in Arlington County.

5. The release of hazardous materials may have short and/or long term health, environmental and

economic effects depending upon the type of product.

6. Hazardous materials emergencies may occur without warning, requiring immediate emergency

response actions.

7. The local jurisdiction must respond to the incident in the initial phase without assistance from

outside the jurisdiction. This includes notification and warning of the public, evacuation or

sheltering-in-place, immediate first aid and isolation of the scene.

8. Arlington County has a hazardous materials response team and is part of the Northern Virginia

Regional Response Team, which is a component of the state response system.

B. Assumptions

1. Planning and training prior to an incident will significantly reduce risk to personnel.

2. A facility involved in a hazardous materials incident will provide all information on a timely basis

as required by SARA, Title III, Section 304.

3. Emergency response personnel are knowledgeable in the use of available resources.

4. The U.S. Department of Transportation Emergency Response Guidebook, alone, or in

combination with other reference material, is used as a guide to determine initial protective

actions at incidents involving hazardous materials.

5. Hazardous materials incidents that occur in which the responsible party cannot be identified

will be resolved at the expense of the jurisdiction in which the event occurred.

6. Records of costs and expenditures will be maintained and forwarded to the

Finance/Administrative Section Chief.

III. Operations

A. There are several types of incidents involving hazardous materials: (1) incidents at fixed facilities,

(2) shipping incidents, (3) roadway or rail transportation accidents, (4) incidents involving

household hazardous materials and (5) known materials on the water, railway or roadway.

B. The level of response required for an incident is determined by:

1. Quantity, quality and the toxic effects of the material involved in the release.

2. Population and/or property threatened.

3. Type and availability of protective equipment required for the released material.

4. Consequences if no immediate action is taken.

C. Depending upon the threat posed by the incident, protective measures initiated for the safety of

the public could include sheltering-in-place, evacuation and/or isolation of the contaminated

environment.

D. Response procedures for each incident will be according to local policies and procedures in

compliance with worker safety standards.

E. This plan recognizes that a hazardous materials incident can change with time and necessitate

escalating the response or downgrading the response as the situation dictates.

F. Specific hazardous materials facility information has been gathered and is available to the response

community through the Arlington County Fire Department’s Office of the Fire Marshal.

G. Training programs for emergency responders in the Arlington County will be through the Virginia

Department of Fire Programs, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, individual agency

in-service training, community college courses and other available related training. Exercise

schedules for this plan are developed and maintained by the Arlington County Fire Department.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Hazardous Materials are generally handled by personnel from the Arlington County Fire

Department Hazardous Material Team. All team members are certified by the Commonwealth of

Virginia to the level of Hazardous Materials Technician or Hazardous Materials Specialist.

B. Generally, hazardous materials incidents and investigations within Arlington County are managed

by the ACFD Hazardous Materials Team but certain incident types may require an additional level

of resources. In this case the ACFD team will be supplemented by an additional team.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Mutual Aid jurisdictions/agencies

1. Non-Arlington County departments/agencies will assume appropriate role in the Incident

Command System and/or provide incident command support as requested by the Incident

Commander.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the ESF 9 lead/liaison and/or

EOC Finance/Administration Section Chief.

Lead

Department of Environmental Services

Support

Office of Emergency Management

Public Utilities

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. ESF #12 works to restore the public utility systems critical to saving lives, protecting health,

safety and property, and to enable other Emergency Support Functions to respond.

B. Scope

1. Gather, analyze and share information on the status of energy resources, public utility

systems, and related infrastructure within the county including fuel and electrical supply and

distribution systems critical to saving lives, protecting the health, safety and property within

the community and to enable other emergency Support Functions to respond

2. Coordinate requests for assistance from public utilities, suppliers and deliverers and monitor

the energy restoration process to include any issues that may impact the restoration

operation.

3. For the purpose of this ESF “energy” includes producing, transporting, generating and

transmitting energy including electric power, natural gas, gasoline, heating oil and other

fuels.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Public utility emergencies can include acute shortages caused by power outages and flow

disruptions and chronic shortages caused by panic buying of fuels/electricity.

2. Fuel shortages can be caused by imbalances in supply and distribution.

3. A shortage of energy in one form can cause shortages in other sources

B. Assumptions

1. Incidents and/or events may cause shortages in energy supplies by disrupting transmission or

fuel supply levels, or increasing energy use.

III. Operations

A. ESF #12 will coordinate restoration plans, implement rationing measures, allocate fuel resources,

coordinate delivery schedules with wholesale providers and locate supplemental resources.

B. Coordinate with utilities and provide them with situation and damage reports to facilitate the

return to service of utilities as soon as possible.

C. Provide a liaison to energy providers to facilitate a coordinated restoration of electric, gas and

fossil fuels as well as energy delivery systems. Arlington County, through ESF 12 will coordinate its

emergency response efforts with local energy providers for the restoration of vital services in the

event of outages and shortages.

D. As needed, ESF 12 will develop measures to curtail and ration energy services, for review and

approval by the county manager. Upon approval of such measures, ESF 12 will be responsible for

implementation. In some instances rationing measures are determined to be necessary by the

service provider and must be taken instantaneously so as to not imperil the operations of the

entire regional power grid.

E. Coordinate the relocation, hookup and maintenance of county-owned portable generators as

directed by the EOC Director. ESF 12 will coordinate with ESF 7 Resource Support, to lease or

purchase additional generators as needed to support critical emergency operations.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Environmental Services

1. Assume the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Monitor public utility related issues to prevent an unexpected public utility shortage.

3. Develop an operations plan for responding to public utilities shortages.

4. Provide an assessment report on the status of the water and wastewater systems and the

impact of system outages.

5. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources needed to restore water and

waste water systems critical to saving lives, protecting health, safety and property.

6. Provide the Emergency Operations Center with frequent updates as to the status of public

utilities.

7. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

B. Public Utilities

1. Provide an assessment report on the status of utility systems and the impact of system outages.

2. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies, and other resources needed to restore power systems

critical to saving lives, protecting health, safety and property.

3. It is recommended that a representative physically be in the Arlington County Emergency

Operations Center.

4. Provide the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates as to the status of

the power systems in the county.

5. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies, equipment, facilities and

communications needs will be developed during normal planning and exercises.

Lead

Arlington County Police Department

Support

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Sheriff’s Office

Virginia State Police

Pentagon Force Protection Agency

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Police

Virginia Department of Transportation

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. Emergency Support Function (ESF) #13 integrates public safety and security capabilities and

resources to support the full range of incident management activities associated with

potential or an actual incident of County, regional or national significance.

B. Scope

1. Provides a mechanism for coordinating and providing support to County agencies to include

non-investigative/non-criminal law enforcement, public safety, and security capabilities and

resources during a potential or actual incident of County, regional or national significance.

Capabilities support incident management requirements including force and critical

infrastructure protection, security planning and technical assistance, technology support, and

public safety in both pre-incident and post incident situations.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Effective law enforcement is essential during emergencies or disasters to ensure protection

of lives and property. The Arlington County Police Department and the Arlington County

Sheriff’s Office are responsible for enforcement of laws, traffic control, investigation of

crimes, access control/site security, and other public safety activities within Arlington County.

B. Assumptions

1. In an emergency/disaster, law enforcement/safety measures will be needed to protect life and

property.

2. During an evacuation, traffic control personnel may be needed to ensure an orderly flow of

traffic and proper parking at reception centers/shelters.

3. The concentration of large numbers of people in shelters during an evacuation may

necessitate police presence to maintain orderly conduct.

4. Extra patrols/surveillance will be needed in evacuated areas to prevent looting and protect

property.

5. Evacuation of prisons/jails may require additional personnel.

6. When donation centers are operating, there will need to be a law enforcement presence in the center.

III. Operations

A. Mission

1. The mission of the Public Safety and Security function is to maintain law and order, protect life

and property, provide traffic control and law enforcement support, guard essential

facilities/supplies and coordinate mutual aid.

B. Direction and Control

1. The Arlington County Police Chief or his/her designee is responsible for coordination of

operations in this Emergency Support Function.

2. The Police Chief is responsible for law enforcement within Arlington County.

A chain-of-command will be established to cover shifts/absences.

3. Law enforcement agencies will utilize their normal communications networks.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Arlington County Police Department

1. Assume the role of coordinator for this Emergency Support Function.

2. Staff control points and roadblocks to expedite traffic to reception centers and prevent reentry

of evacuated areas.

3. Provide traffic control, law enforcement and security at damaged County property.

4. Provide security at shelter facilities and donation centers.

5. Assist the fire department with evacuations and the coordination of needed equipment in

support of this effort.

6. Develop mutual aid agreements with surrounding law enforcement jurisdiction.

7. Provide the Emergency Operations Center with frequent updates as to the status of law

enforcement activities.

8. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

B. Arlington County Office of the Sheriff

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources necessary to assist in law

enforcement activities.

2. Provide traffic control, law enforcement and security at damaged county property.

3. Provide security at the Emergency Operations Center during activation.

4. Provide security at shelter facilities and donation centers.

5. Identify shelter locations if the inmates at the County detention facility need to be relocated.

6. Provide care and security of inmates in detention centers, as well as those being relocated.

7. Provide the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates as to the status of

law enforcement activities.

8. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

C. Arlington County Fire Department (Office of the Chief Fire Marshal)

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources needed to assist in law

enforcement activities as requested.

2. Provide the Emergency Support Function Coordinator with updates as to their status.

3. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

D. Virginia State Police

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies, and other resources needed to assist in law

enforcement activities.

2. Staff control points and roadblocks to expedite traffic to reception centers and prevent reentry

to evacuated areas.

3. Provide the Emergency Support Function coordinator with frequent updates as to the status of

law enforcement activities.

E. Pentagon Force Protection Agency

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources needed to assist in law

enforcement activities.

2. Assist with traffic control on and around the Pentagon Reservation.

3. Provide the Emergency Support Function Coordinator with frequent updates as to the status of

their assignments or needs.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Emergency operations will be carried out in accordance with agency standard operating

procedures. Each agency is responsible for the maintenance of these procedures.

Lead

Department of Community Planning, Housing

and Development (CPHD)

Support

Arlington Economic Development (AED)

Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)

Department of Libraries

Office of Emergency Management

Virginia Department of Historic Resources

National Park Service, George Washington

Memorial Parkway

Regional Business and Nonprofit Community

Business Partnership Organizations

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. To guide the actions of the Long-Term Community Recovery and Mitigation emergency

support function during an emergency or large scale disaster response.

B. Scope

1. Coordinate operations in the following areas:

a. Bring Arlington County Government back up to full pre-disaster operating levels.

b. Evaluate the economic impact of an emergency or large scale disaster.

c. Protect historic resources prior to, during and/or after an emergency/disaster.

d. Provide a through mitigation analysis and comprehensive program implementation for full

community recovery.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Any disaster or emergency is likely to have an economic impact on the County which must be

assessed by AED in order to minimize the long-term impact on County operations and the

fiscal health of the community. Completing this assessment is likely to require the assistance

of outside consultants.

2. A disaster or an emergency that will damage historic buildings – publicly or privately held – to

the extent that they be uninhabitable or in a condition requiring stabilization and general

repair before and renovation/rehabilitation can be initiated.

3. The General Land Use Plan and supporting documents will provide policy guidance for the

recovery and reconstruction as needed. Site plan approval documents will guide

reconstruction of approved projects.

B. Assumptions

1. Arlington County is at risk for both natural disasters and other emergencies that could harm the

long-term economic health of the County.

2. Damage to, or disruption of, residential and commercial buildings, infrastructure,

communications networks, and transportation infrastructure may hamper the recovery

process and will have an economic impact on individuals, businesses and the County.

3. An incident or event may affect the County disproportionately and require resources to be

deployed to the affected areas, businesses, etc., thereby disrupting regular County service

delivery.

4. Routine operations may be disrupted or postponed to support recovery.

5. External partners, including non-profit organizations and business partnerships will be

necessary for communication, case management and long-term recovery. (For business and

industry support, refer to the ESF #14 Annex to the EOP).

III. Operations

A. ESF #14 will coordinate the development of long-term recovery strategies and plans in

coordination with other relevant Arlington County Departments. These may include:

1. Accessible housing (incident and permanent);

2. Large displacements of individuals including those with special needs;

3. Contaminated debris management;

4. Decontamination and environmental restoration;

5. Restoration of public facilities and infrastructure; and,

6. Restoration of the agricultural sector.

B. Develops plans, procedures, and guidance delineating appropriate agency participation and

available resources, taking into account the differing technical needs and statutory

responsibilities.

IV. Organizational Roles and Departmental Responsibilities

A. Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development

1. Assume role of coordinator of this ESF.

2. Provide personnel and other resources as directed by OEM to support response and recovery.

3. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

4. Maintain records of staff time spent in support of recovery activities.

5. Historic Preservation Program staff will identify those damaged buildings that are of historic

status, inspect all damaged historic buildings and those listed on the Historic Resources

Inventory and make initial assumptions as to their hazardous condition.

6. Historic Preservation Program will coordinate with ESF 18 and others on repair, stabilization

and/or demolition.

7. Planning staff will provide assessment of land use policy impacts of disaster or emergency.

Provide advice on process for reconstruction in the case of nonconforming buildings or where

redevelopment is possible.

B. Arlington Economic Development

1. Provide personnel and other resources as directed by OEM to support response and recovery.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

3. Maintain records of staff time spent in support of recovery activities.

4. Prepare economic impact analysis covering the following areas, as appropriate, and as directed

by OEM:

a. Infrastructure: (i.e. damage/disruption of commuter rail lines, transportation systems,

telecom switching stations, electrical substations, cable, etc.)

b. Equipment: (i.e. damage/disruption of telecom and computer equipment, furniture,

fixtures and supplies, etc.)

c. Business Activity (i.e. interruption of activities, suppliers, and/or markets due to

inaccessible or damaged work sites, lack of backed up information and secure offsite

storage, lack of functioning alternative facilities, etc.)

d. Human Productivity (i.e. loss/injury of workforce, damaged machinery and equipment, etc.)

e. Transport of goods and workers (i.e. shut down/slowdown of passenger and freight systems)

f. Insurance (i.e. payout costs)

g. Tourism: (i.e. income losses due to decrease in visitor travel and spending, damaged

closed facilities and attractions)

h. Revenue: (i.e. losses due to declines in taxes/assessments from property damage and or

reduction in business income, additional overtime and service delivery expenditures)

i. Goods and services (i.e. decrease in manufacture or delivery due to closure of

establishments and other downstream or upstream production/delivery delays)

j. Other economic factors (i.e. indirect and induced impacts due to lost income,

unemployment, etc.)

5. Evaluate need for outside assistance. Form specific partnerships as appropriate

C. Department of Libraries

1. Provide personnel and other resources as directed by OEM to support response and recovery.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

3. Maintain records of staff time spent in support of recovery activities.

4. Provide information from the Virginia Room to support Historic Preservation Program efforts to

stabilize historic buildings.

D. Department of Parks and Recreation

1. Provide personnel and other resources as directed by OEM to support response and recovery.

2. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

3. Maintain records of staff time spent in support of recovery activities.

4. Assess impact of disaster or emergency on cultural resources.

5. Cultural Affairs staff will coordinate with ESF 18 and others on repair, stabilization and/or

demolition.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and types of

communication devices will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

County Manager’s Office

Support

Department of Technology Support

Department of Libraries

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington County Police Department

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Human Services

Department of Parks and Recreation

Arlington Public Schools

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. Ensure that sufficient County assets are deployed to provide accurate, coordinated, and timely

information to the public, the media, and local, state and federal governmental partners.

B. Scope

1. To manage information during a disaster/emergency so that the most up-to-date and correct

information is used to inform the public. This Emergency Support Function will use media

reports to support the overall strategy for managing the incident. It will coordinate with all

agencies involved with the incident so that one message is used for public information to

avoid any conflicts of released information. This Emergency Support Function is organized into

the following functional components:

a. Public Affairs

b. Community Relations

c. Congressional Affairs

d. International Affairs

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Generation of timely public information coordinated with the appropriate level of

government is essential to avoid or minimize loss of life and property if a disaster is imminent

or has occurred. Before, during, and after emergency operations, the public will be apprised

through reports to the news media, through the internet, through alerting systems, and in

various alternative media.

B. Assumptions

1. In an emergency/disaster it is important to provide timely and accurate information to the

public and to the media outlets.

2. During an emergency/disaster, the public requires instructions and information about

government response and recovery operations.

3. Emergency information will be disseminated by appropriate means based on the incident. The

primary methods will be the use of the County’s Alert System, media outlets, the County’s social

media outlets—Facebook and Twitter—the County’s cable channel, the Emergency Alert System,

1700 AM Radio, the County’s website, newspapers and flyers.

4. The news coverage must be monitored to ensure that accurate information is being

disseminated.

5. Given the County’s location and high profile, the County needs to be prepared to keep

Congress and other political figures informed.

III. Operations

A. Disaster and emergency information from Arlington County shall be clear, concise, and accurate

information regarding the existing situation, actions being taken by authorities, and those to be

taken by the population. Every effort will be made to prevent and counter rumors, hearsay, and

inaccuracies.

B. Coordination with all appropriate departments, agencies, and organizations will be performed to

the maximum extent, to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent emergency public information.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. Public Affairs

1. Coordinate messages from the various response agencies and establish a Joint Information

Center.

2. Gather information on the incident.

3. Provide incident-related information through the media and other County sources to

individuals, families, businesses, and industries directly or indirectly affected by the incident.

4. Use a broad range of resources to disseminate information.

5. Monitor the news coverage to ensure the accuracy of the information being disseminated.

6. Handle appropriate special projects such as news conferences and press operations for

incident area tours.

7. Oversee the key function of media relations.

8. Activate the County’s 3000 line and provide appropriate messaging.

B. Community Relations

1. Prepare an initial action plan with incident-specific guidance and objectives, at the beginning

of an actual or potential incident.

2. Identify and coordinate with the community leaders and neighborhood groups to assist in the

rapid dissemination of information, identify unmet needs, and to establish an ongoing

dialogue and information exchange.

C. Congressional Affairs

1. Establish contact with the congressional offices representing affected areas to provide

information on the incident.

2. Be prepared to arrange an incident site visit for members of Congress and their staffs.

3. Respond to congressional inquiries.

D. International Affairs

1. If needed due to the nature of the incident, work with the Department of State to coordinate

all matters requiring international involvement.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and types of

communication devices will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Employee Assistance Program

Support

Department of Human Resources

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. To provide support to County employees and family members during an emergency/disaster.

The actions to be taken include but are not limited to the following:

a. Critical Incident Stress Management

b. Support communications between the employees and their families

c. Monitor organizational responses

B. Scope

1. The Employee Assistance Program will provide on-scene mental health intervention to

employees and family members, as requested. The Employee Assistance Program will also

provide post-incident mental health intervention to employees and family members, as

requested.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. When emergencies/disasters occur, no matter the duration, those employees engaged in the

response will most likely need some type of support.

B. Assumptions

1. Employees working in support of or directly involved in the emergency/disaster will need

assistance from the government.

2. There are several types of support needed during and after these types of events:

a. Support and comfort during the response phase

b. Employee/family support during the response phase

c. Assisting the employees with basic needs during the response phase

d. Mental health assistance after the incident is over

3. Employees do need to have contact with their family while assisting with the

emergency/disaster.

4. Employees not able to make contact with their families themselves need to have accurate

information relayed to their families.

5. During long-term operations where critical incident stress is likely, consideration should be

given to establishing a rest area for workers away from the incident.

6. Employees that work past a recommended amount of hours are at a higher risk for injuries.

7. Large, complex incidents/events or ones that are spread out over large geographical areas may

require the assistance of outside Critical Incident Stress Management professionals.

8. County agencies need to have plans in place and training based on these plans provided by the

Employee Assistance Program pre-event.

9. The Employee Assistance Program is the coordinator of this Emergency Support Function. They

will maintain all operational plans and will coordinate the training that pertains to this

function.

III. Operations

1. The Employee Assistance Program is the lead for this Emergency Support Function and will be

supported by the Human Resources Department.

2. On incidents where the complexity and/or the scope of the incident make it obvious that

responding employees will need support, the ESF Coordinator or his/her designee should

report to the Emergency Operations Center.

3. The Emergency Operations Center Command Staff or the Incident Command Staff may initiate

this support function based on the needs of the responding employees.

4. The staff assigned to Employee Support will typically operate in several places. These may

include but are not limited to:

a. Incident scene(s)

b. Incident scene(s) rehabilitation areas

c. Off-site rehabilitation areas

d. Emergency Operations Center

e. Incident Command Post (if different location than the incident itself)

f. Fire Stations and Police Station

g. Hospital Emergency Department (as needed for the emergency medical crews)

5. Coordinate with other Emergency Support Functions to establish necessary communication

links with employees’ families when needed.

6. Monitor the other Emergency Support Functions, and assist them as well as focusing on the

responders.

7. Request assistance from those agencies outside the County that can assist if the magnitude of

the incident makes it necessary.

8. Coordinate early with the other Emergency Support Functions to establish appropriate food and

lodging for employees engaged in the response and recovery operations.

9. Coordinate for the delivery of necessary food and refreshments to the on-scene rehabilitation

areas and the appropriate operational areas.

10. Plan for the long-term needs early in the response and establish communications with all

employees allowing them to have ample opportunity to reach out and use the program. The

type of information that should be shared:

a. The on-scene location(s) of the Employee Assistance Program staff.

b. The availability of the Employee Assistance Program at the off-site rehabilitation area.

c. What has been established for employees who need assistance communicating with their

families.

d. What assistance is available from the Human Resource staff to support the employees.

e. What has been established for long-term employee support.

11. Maintain records of costs and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief at the Emergency Operations Center.

IV. Organizational Roles and Responsibilities

A. The EAP has the responsibility to monitor all employees during a crisis to assist in keeping all

employees safe and operational. In the event that an employee is not in the position to remain

operational, the EAP will make appropriate recommendations to management and/or incident

command on whether an employee has the ability to stay at work in another capacity or be

removed from duty.

B. The EAP will offer training and education on critical incident stress and how it may impact

employees on and off the job. The EAP will provide training on resources available to employees

should they feel that they are under stress. The EAP will provide a Resilience Building Group so

employees needing methods to enhance resiliency will be provided the information and support

they need.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and types of

communication devices will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Lead

Department of Human Services

Support

Libraries (x3000 Line only)

Office of Emergency Management

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. Develop and implement systems to manage and coordinate unaffiliated (or spontaneous) volunteers

and donated goods (including cash donations) during an emergency/disaster recovery effort.

B. Scope

1. This Emergency Support Function will address the following:

a. A plan to respond to public inquiries regarding the need for volunteers or donations,

including how to make monetary donations.

b. A plan to communicate with non-profits and other agencies to assess their need for

volunteers or donations.

c. If needed, manage Volunteer Reception Center(s) to integrate volunteers into the

response/recovery.

d. If donations are needed, develop procedures to integrate donations into the

response/recovery.

e. Maintain communication with other regional Volunteer Centers regarding mutual

assistance.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. In the event of a disaster that has significant impact on the County as a whole or individual

neighborhoods, people will want to volunteer their services and donate goods or cash. It is the

responsibility of the County government to have a plan to communicate with the public and

manage appropriate systems for receiving and coordinating volunteers and/or managing

donations.

2. People will offer assistance of many types and the government needs to be able to manage

these offers. Types of offers that could be expected include:

a. Individual services, both skilled and unskilled

b. Money

c. Goods

d. Equipment

e. Clothing, furniture, blankets etc.

f. Loaning of specialized equipment

B. Assumptions

1. The public will want to volunteer or donate assistance to incident efforts.

2. Many people will work through recognized nonprofit voluntary organizations.

3. Volunteers and donations can be used to support the response and recovery, rather than

impede it.

III. Operations

A. The decision to call upon this Emergency Support Function should be based upon:

1. The size and complexity of the event is such that the public will want to do things to show their

support, such as volunteer and/or donate.

2. Non-profits or other agencies have requested assistance with volunteers or donations.

3. Other requests for volunteer or donations assistance have been received by Office of

Emergency Management.

4. People are self-deploying and impeding the rescue or recovery effort.

B. Volunteer and Donations Management operations may include the following:

1. A Volunteer and Donations Coordinator.

2. A phone bank.

3. A coordinated media relations effort.

4. Effective liaison with other emergency support functions, state and federal government

officials.

5. Facility Management Plan.

C. Donated Goods Management Function

1. Management of unsolicited donated goods involves a cooperative effort by local and

voluntary and community based organizations, the business sector and the media.

2. The Arlington County Department of Human Services, in conjunction with voluntary

organization partners, are responsible for developing donations management plans and

managing the flow of donated goods during disaster operations.

D. Volunteer Management Function

1. Management of unaffiliated volunteers requires a cooperative effort by local and voluntary

and community based organizations, such as Citizen Corps Councils, faith-based

organizations, the private sector and the media.

IV. Organization Roles and Responsibilities

A. Department of Human Services

1. Assume the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Coordinate requests for volunteers and donations from community agencies and other ESFs

with calls from the public who wish to volunteer or donate.

3. Provide personnel necessary for volunteer and donation management activities during a

disaster/recovery effort.

4. Upon activation of the X-3000 telephone line by External Affairs or ESF 15, coordinate with

Libraries to assist.

5. Coordinate with External Affairs to send appropriate information to the public about ongoing

efforts to solicit and receive volunteers and donations.

6. Communicate with other ESFs, nonprofits and other community organizations to assess their

needs for volunteers and/or donations.

7. Ensure coordination with other local, regional and state volunteer management and donations

efforts.

8. Coordinate with Northern Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVVOAD) and

the Metro Coalition of Volunteer Centers, which includes all volunteer centers of the

Washington Metropolitan region which have developed a plan for communication / mutual

cooperation in disasters.

9. Maintain records of costs and expenditures, and forward them to the Finance/Administrative

Section Chief.

B. Libraries

1. Will provide oversight and staffing for the X-3000 telephone line, and will coordinate with

Department of Human Services to respond to calls from residents who wish to volunteer or

donate.

C. Office of Emergency Management

1. Provide direction and guidance regarding volunteer and donation management.

2. Direct the opening of selected Volunteer Reception Centers if indicated.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Estimated logistic requirements such as personnel, supplies, equipment, facilities and

communications needs will be developed during normal planning processes and exercises.

Q. ESF #18: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Lead

Community Planning, Housing and Development

Support

Department of Environmental Services

Department of Parks and Recreation

Arlington County Fire Department

Arlington Public Schools

Public Utilities

I. Introduction

A. Purpose

1. To serve as the central repository for information regarding post-disaster damage in the

County. This ESF will coordinate damage assessment and reporting functions, estimate the

nature and extent of the damage and provide disaster recovery assistance.

B. Scope

1. The Damage Assessment ESF is responsible for managing and directing all damage assessment

functions in conjunction with other Arlington County departments. During an incident, ESF #18

will conduct an initial damage assessment immediately following the conclusion of the

incident, then follow-up with a more in-depth assessment to provide to the State.

II. Situation and Assumptions

A. Situation

1. Most hazardous events which may affect Arlington County have the potential for causing

damage. A planned damage assessment program is essential for effective response and

recovery operations and for timely receipt of State and/or Federal resources and assistance.

2. If a significant emergency/disaster occurs, governmental damage assessment activities will be

broken down into multiple phases:

a. Rapid Needs Assessments (Windshield Surveys)

b. Initial Damage Assessments

c. Joint Damage Assessments

3. Federal/State supported damage assessment precedes the delivery of a Presidential Disaster

Declaration and defines the specific needs for a long-term recovery.

4. Concurrent with government led assessments, a multitude of independent damage assessment

activities will be conducted by a variety of organizations including insurance companies and

utility companies.

B. Assumptions

1. Arlington County will continue to be exposed to various hazards resulting in damage to both

public and private property.

2. Damage to utility, transportation, and communications systems may hamper the recovery process.

3. Some areas of the county may be initially inaccessible to damage assessment teams. In these

instances, CERT responses will be utilized as much as possible to fill in the gaps.

4. Routine government agency operations may be postponed or limited after a disaster in order to

free up personnel and resources to assist in assessment and recovery.

III. Operations

A. Responsibility for Rapid Needs Assessments and Initial Damage Assessment reports lies with local

government.

B. Emergency and recovery operations will initially be coordinated from the EOC. Accurate

emergency logs and expenditure records must be kept from the onset of the disaster by each

response agency/organization.

C. Rapid Needs Assessments and Initial Damage Assessment surveys will be conducted by Task Forces

comprised of representatives from DES, DPR, ACFD, and CPHD.

D. The ESF 18 Lead will coordinate the compilation of damage survey data, prepare damage

assessment reports for the EOC director and plot damaged areas on local maps. An Initial Damage

Assessment should be submitted to the EOC director within 48 hours of the disaster.

E. The EOC director will review, with other appropriate local officials, the damage assessment reports

to determine if any outside assistance will be necessary to recover from the disaster.

F. The EOC director will forward damage assessment reports and any requests for assistance to the

Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

G. Based upon the local damage assessment reports, the State Emergency Operations Team will

determine what recovery capabilities are available to meet the anticipated requirements.

IV. Organizational Roles and Departmental Responsibilities

A. Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development

(Inspection Services Division)

1. Assume the role of coordinator of this Emergency Support Function.

2. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies, and other resources to conduct preliminary damage

assessment on affected private property.

3. Develop and maintain a damage assessment plan and ensure during an emergency/disaster

that the necessary documentation is forwarded to Virginia Emergency Operations Center

within 72 hours of the peak event.

4. Provide technical engineering in determining emergency operations required for irrigation,

flood control, dam safety and other related areas.

5. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/Administration

Section Chief.

B. Department of Environmental Services

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in rapid needs

assessments.

2. Report initial damage assessment findings back to the Emergency Operations Center or the

Trades Operations Center within 4 hours of event.

3. Conducts damage assessment of County facilities and infrastructure.

4. Provide personnel to assist in the input of survey data into the OnPoint damage assessment

application.

5. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/ Administration

Section Chief.

6. Submit Initial Damage Assessment data to ISD within 36 hours of the event.

C. Department of Parks and Recreation

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in rapid needs

assessments.

2. Report initial damage assessment findings back to the Emergency Operations Center or the

Trades Operations Center within 4 hours of event.

3. Provide assistance in conducting damage assessment of County facilities and infrastructure.

4. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/ Administration

Section Chief.

5. Submit Initial Damage Assessment data to ISD within 36 hours of the event.

D. Arlington County Fire Department (Fire Marshal’s Office)

1. Provide personnel, equipment, supplies and other resources to assist in rapid needs

assessments.

2. Report initial damage assessment findings back to EOC or TOC within 4 hours of event.

3. Maintain records of cost and expenditures and forward them to the Finance/ Administration

Section Chief.

E. Citizen Emergency Response Teams

1. Provide personnel to assist in rapid needs assessments.

V. Resource Requirements

A. Damage Assessment Go Kits

1. The ESF 18 Lead has 10 Damage Assessment Go Kits for the Initial Damage Assessment Survey

Teams. The list of contents in the Go Kits is included in the ESF 18 Standard Operating

Guidelines.

2. Additional logistical requirements will be developed during normal planning processes and

exercises.

Public disclosure of these documents would have a reasonable likelihood of threatening public safety by exposing vulnerabilities. They contain sensitive and confidential information not subject to FOIA under Virginia Code §2.2-3705.2. Accordingly, Arlington County Department is withholding these documents from full public disclosure. Refer any request for a copy of this document to the Arlington County’s Attorney Office.